Flowers From Stone
by Khajiithaswares2013
Summary: Itachi had to scold himself. The girl was at least his little brother's age and yet he couldn't take his eyes off of her. And what made things worse, he was to be her Senpai. But to top it all off, she and Sasuke had had... relations. This should be interesting. ItachixOC rating may change due to swearing, abuse, sexual scenes and other adult content. BE WARNED.
1. The girl with the stormy eyes

**Hello all! This is my new story, the first Naruto story I've created on this account. I hope you all enjoy it as I did writing it. Please favourite, follow and subscribe, I tend to update my stories as soon as I can so that's usually weekly and if not, I always give notice. Anywho, I hope you enjoy!**

 _Flowers from stone_

When Itachi Uchiha met Maoru Tochi, he was stirred.

It was a normal day at the Amegakure headquarters, the rain pounded against the building as thunder clapped outside in the grey, clouded skies. The base was eerily quiet as it usually was when the majority of the two man cells were on missions for the Akatsuki, in other far away countries. The only Akatsuki members present were Itachi and Kisame as well as Deidara and Sasori. The four members had been handpicked by Pain, their leader, to assist in training up the newly recruited subordinates. The Akatsuki saw the value of having subordinates for battle, mainly for assisting the main members but also for spying and infiltration missions.

It was a job given to particular members of the Akatsuki to help the subordinates train and hone their skills, to help them be of more assistance in their given job roles. Currently, there were only three subordinates being taken on and Itachi calmly walked towards Pain's wing, footsteps echoing against the silence of the place, the only other noise being the rain that thudded heavily against the small windows. Itachi's eyes slickered to the side as he passed the living quarters and Kisame joined him at his side, looming over him with his impressive stature.

"So, Itachi. Did you manage to get a background on all of the squirts?" He mused, his beady, shark-eyes penetrating the shorter Uchiha man. Itachi simply looked forward calmly, not interested in the slightest. Of course he's read the files of the subordinates before they'd be to meet them. It was only professional.

"Yes, Kisame."

"You know one of them was trained by Orochimaru. Something… Tochi I think. From the village hidden in the stone." The big blue man chuckled when Itachi said nothing, almost as if he was expecting that. Itachi didn't even feel obliged to answer, Orochimaru really didn't interest him whatsoever.

"Do you think she met your brother?"

Something in Itachi jumped for a second at hearing the mention of his brother and the man tried his best to conceal his interest.

"Most likely." He stated coolly, voice smooth and unbothered but inside, he was interested sincerely in the topic. His mind raced to thoughts of his brother and how his progress was coming along and he almost forgot to take the left turn with Kisame into the grand arch way of Pain's quarters. The rain became louder and louder as they entered the dark hall, the balcony seeping with rainwater that spread into the room, the water reflecting the sky light into the room. Itachi became aware of Deidara and Sasori already being there as well as Pain who stood before them, separating the trainers from the trainees who looked a mix of confident and nervous, all except one.

"Good, you are here, Kisame, Itachi." Pain's godly voice startled a few of the subordinates but there was still that one that seemed indifferent on everything that was happening. Itachi's dark orbs instantly flickered over to the three almost adults. There were two shinobi and a singular kunoichi. The female, he guessed, as the earlier topic of discussion between himself and his partner, also the one who was completely apathetic towards everything. As they found themselves standing beside the other two man cell, Itachi found himself staring at the girl whose eyes never left the godly figure before them. She was much shorter than the other males who towered above her but she seemed completely uncaring towards them, only focusing intently as Pain introduced them to their mentors.

"Your fourth mentor Itachi Uchiha is a name I'm sure is not totally unfamiliar to anyone in possession of a bingo book," He started, directing everyone's attention to Itachi who watched with keen interest at the young female before him whose clouded, grey eyes promptly flitted to him, staring him down with her captivating feline gaze before he noticed something akin to acknowledgement shimmer through her orbs and her pale pink lips fell ajar slightly, something the girl failed to do when taking in her other superiors. As Pain continued to talk, Itachi was captivated from behind the collar of his Akatsuki cloak at the fair haired girl with the stormy eyes. Immediately, his mind jumped back to his little brother and wondered for a moment if he had indeed met the girl and been captivated too. That would explain the female's look of recognition.

"Itachi, you will be responsible for Maoru along with Deidara. Be stern but fair. Dismissed."

As the others disbanded, he heard Kisame whisper something along the lines of, _nice one, eh, Itachi?_ Assuming he was talking about the girl, Itachi closed his eyes and got a grip before she approached both he and Deidara who he suddenly became alert was scowling at him; not an uncommon thing when putting Deidara and himself together in any kind of social situation. The girl placed her hands together in front of her abdomen before approaching them, a serious look on her face.

"So, you're my new superiors." She almost seemed to be talking to herself as she spoke, but Itachi didn't fail to notice the sweet but unamused tone of her voice and nodded silently. The girl cocked her head at him and folded her arms over her chest. Deidara instantly spoke up, taking Itachi's much appreciated attention away.

"That's right, yeah. Hey, don't I know you already?"

The girl seemed to gaze up towards his head band and smile, a sight slightly strange since her eyes practically popped out at the same time.

"I think so! You were a few years ahead of me in the academy in Iwa, weren't you?" She began picking at her mesh arm bands, arms remained folded. Deidara let out a dry laugh and folded his own arms, leaning all of his weight on his left foot for a more comfortable stance, something Itachi didn't fail to notice. If he could have guessed he might have said the blonde bomber was flirting with the girl, a notion that made the Uchiha slightly prickly. But he wasn't too surprised. The girl was fairly attractive and scantily clad. Scantily clad enough to catch any male's attention. And Itachi had a feeling that the gesture wasn't entirely an accident with the way she seemed to be making herself more comfortable with himself and Deidara.

"You certainly have grown Maoru-chan, yeah."

Itachi took note of the pink blush that tinted the girl's cheeks as she smiled politely at Deidara. The dark haired man turned his head to stare down the other male, indicating to finish the small talk. Upon noticing, Deidara glared at him with an icy blue eye. The girl seemed to notice and was instantly uncomfortable at the heated staring. Maoru coughed, getting the attention of the dark haired man who she recognized as Itachi Uchiha.

"Your training will start later in the evening, be prepared. I will show you to your room." He spoke calmly, turning swiftly with the swish of his cloak and disappearing out of the grand room. Maoru smiled goodbye to her other Senpai and jogged slightly to catch up with Itachi. Deidara just stared behind her and smirked.

"Itachi-Senpai!"

The man stopped and turned. Strange. He'd been sure she'd followed him. Shrugging it off, he watched as she caught up to him and walked on slightly, smirking to herself. He raised an eyebrow at her strange behaviour and walked behind her.

"I know your little brother, you know." She mused. Itachi internally sighed. He had a feeling that topic would come up and he knew it would be an awkward one to answer. The conversation topic of Sasuke seemed to follow him wherever he went recently after confronting the boy when seeking out the legacy of the fourth Hokage. Thinking about it, the girl couldn't have been much older than Sasuke. Recalling her brief, fifteen came to mind. Itachi instantly scolded himself at his earlier thoughts and became stone faced, closing his eyes at the girl.

"Is that so." He murmured beneath the collar of his cloak. As they walked, the girl clasped her hands behind her back coyly, holding back slightly so her steps were on par with his own and she could look up at him. She was so short.

"Yeah, he was one of Orochimaru's new recruits and was immediately his favourite. Strutting about the place like a preening peacock. I asked him about you, didn't seem very fond but then again, I'm not surprised. No offense."

Itachi had to stop himself from smiling.

"This is your room."

The girl turned the handle and opened it, genuinely quite curious about her new accommodation and was shocked at what she saw. Her room was fairly large with a small double bed, a wardrobe, a book case, a weapons chest and an extra door. Running to the other door, she shoved it open and stared inside.

"I get a bathroom?" She exclaimed, genuinely quite thrilled. Itachi stared after her as she childishly hung off the door, gawking into the dark bathroom.

"Of course. It would be inappropriate for you to be asked to share a bathroom with any other of the male members."

There was a moment of silence when Itachi realised that his mouth had spoken without permission and made a poor attempt at a flirty joke. And by flirting, he meant speaking more than three words in a sentence and a bathroom reference in a monotone voice. Luckily, the girl was too busy fawning over her new room to have even noticed.

"I never had my own bathroom with..!" Instantly, her spirits dropped and she stood straight. Itachi stared at the back of her, interest piqued at her sudden change of mood. Sensing the now awkward silence, the girl turned and frowned.

"When would you like me in the training room, Senpai?"

"In two hours. You have until then to settle in and make yourself comfortable before I want to take a look at what you can do."

The girl plopped onto the bed and leaned back, smirking.

"You can have a look right now if you want."

"…"

"It was a joke."

"…"

Itachi coughed and turned on his heel, his composure being severely tested. Calmly, he stepped out of the room.

"I expect to see you in two hours." He stated before closing the door behind himself. Maoru exhaled loudly when he left, falling back onto her new bed. _That wasn't too bad._ The girl smiled to herself and rolled onto her front, staring out of the window above her. The rain pattered against the window and rolled down in streaks of clear trails, almost like each rain drop was racing the other. The sandy blonde girl sighed and buried her face in her arms, smiling when she thought about her superiors. Deidara and Itachi, both known to her. She had a feeling Pain-Sama had done that on purpose once she'd mentioned she was familiar with both. She knew it wasn't the only reason, however. She was an Earth user so both her superiors had a fair bit of knowledge on the element. Deidara was of Earth nature also. And if Itachi's sharingan was anything like Sasuke's, he would find it simple enough to use Earth style jutsu that she had up her sleeve.

Maoru's eyebrows furrowed at the thought of Sasuke and sighed. She'd most likely never see him again if she was lucky, she wasn't particularly keen on him or so she told herself.

The girl closed her eyes and let out a satisfied hum, feeling completely safe and content with life as an Akatsuki subordinate in training.

Itachi's dark eyes scanned over the brief in mild interest, trying to pick a part what he could of Maoru Tochi, his new subordinate.

 _Name: Maoru Tochi  
Age: 15  
Birthday: December 10_ _th_ _  
Gender: Female  
Kekkei Genkai: N/A  
Other: Previous subordinate of Orochimaru for four years before leaving due to personal reasons._

Beside the information was a picture of a young Maoru, most likely from her academy photo. The man scowled and sat back, taking in the silence of his room. He needed to know more about the girl in question, not only for personal interest but for his occasional reports for Konohagakure. This could possibly be much needed information to present in regards to the Akatsuki's movement. There was a brief wrap on the door before it opened.

"So how was your one, Itachi?"

Itachi continued to read the brief over and over again whilst staring at the image of Maoru instead of answering.

"She sure did seem to stare at you a lot. Though, I'm not surprised. You're always pretty popular with the girls."

This got Itachi's attention, looking up to Kisame, the boy realized he made a grave mistake as the shark man's mouth stretched upwards into a sinister, toothy grin.

"Interested, Itachi? I don't blame you. She's a looker that's for sure. Oh, how sweet."

Itachi's head turned back to his brief, eyes distant.

"Don't be ridiculous."

Kisame chuckled and stepped into the room, closing the door and folding his arms over his chest.

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. There is something I thought you should know, however."

Itachi stared at Kisame out of the corner of his eyes, acknowledging the other man in the room. There was an awkward silence before Kisame's laughter split the quiet of the room.

"There's been word on the grapevine about the girl in question and… your little brother, Itachi. It's about their relations. This is coming straight from the horse's mouth, Sasori's subordinate in Orochimaru's faction. They apparently had..."

"…" Itachi knew all too well what Kisame was trying to say.

"There was also something about the girl being… forced to perform. To various other. Whether that included Orochimaru himself, it wasn't mentioned."

Itachi's eyes were calm and steady as they stared at the paper, particularly at the picture of the young girl.

"…I see." He murmured uncomfortably. The clock in the room ticked loudly as they both remained quiet. Itachi's posture turned as Kisame chuckled lowly, clearing finding the scoop as amusing as Itachi found it disappointing. A sudden knock on the door brought them out of their awkward conversation and Kisame moved aside to accommodate Deidara who poked his head, smirking when he saw Kisame before it twisted into a scowling frown when landing on Itachi.

"Oh, Deidara." Kisame mused in greeting the blonde bomber who stepped into the room, no longer wearing his cloak.

"Yeah hi. Itachi, it's been two hours, let's go, yeah." He growled rudely, retreating into the hall once more. The Uchiha man stood before following shortly, Kisame on his tail.

"Think about what I said, Itachi. Find out as much as you can." Kisame murmured before chuckling and walking the opposite directions, Itachi staring after him.

"Hey, quit daydreaming. I want to get this over and done with, yeah." Deidara spat, speech impediment and all. Itachi coolly turned and followed Deidara to the training room.

.

 **Hey guys! So this is my first Naruto story on this account. I thought it might be interesting to try an Itachi story that still involves Sasuke references since quite a few out there don't. I hope Maoru didn't come across as Mary Sue, that's NOT what I intend to do at all, however when I began developing this character, I wanted someone who Itachi would be attracted to and being Itachi, he would have ridiculously high standards. She does have faults and I'll be developing those in the next few chapters. I feel like Itachi would be attracted to a certain type of person and I wanted Maoru to have a kind of playfulness that might have reminded him of Sasuke. After all, people are attracted to familiarity more than anything.**

 **In the next few chapters, I want to delve deeper into Maoru's mysterious past and hopefully show the reasons why she is the way she is. I mentioned that she knew Deidara but I will emphasize that she didn't know him personally, just caught glimpses of him in the academy.**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will update again soon!**


	2. The flaws of stone flowers

**Hello everyone! Okay, so first off, I wanna say a massive thank you to everyone who favorited and followed this story, I was** _ **not**_ **expecting so many good responses what so ever! To say thank you, this is an extra-long chapter, nearing nearly 5000 words so I hope you all like it! Please F &F and review if you have anything you want to say, any questions or anything about it, I would much appreciate it! I would also like to mention that the ratings will be changing in the future but as of now, this story will be kept T rated.**

 **I do not own Naruto in any way, I only own Maoru. All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo.** __

 _Flowers from stone._

Maoru's feline eyes flickered to her mentors as they both walked into the training hall, their steps echoing against the barren silence of the humungous room. The girl stood promptly and dusted herself off. The training area in the Akatsuki HQ was something far from small. It was probably one of, if not, the largest rooms in the entire building with thick slabs of concrete for flooring and walls. Heavy metal piping stretched from everywhere, corroded with rust and reaching up to the skylight window. The room stank of damp and dust, a musky scent that was harsh on the nose and made you cringe if you inhaled too hard. The girl found herself rubbing her nose as she attempted to rid it of the pungent smell.

"I was beginning to think you didn't wanna see me."

Itachi's harsh black orbs rolled over the girl and he found himself focusing on her skimpy ninja attire that he'd picked apart earlier that day when she'd been talking with Deidara. His mind thought back to what his blue team mate had said.

 _"…the girl being… forced to perform."_

The thought echoed in his mind. She was only fifteen years old; the thought beginning to sicken him. It was then that he realized something. She wasn't so scantily clad because she wanted to be. _It was a habit._

"Well here we are. So let's get to it, yeah. Tell us a bit about your fighting styles, hm."

Itachi was too deep in thought to truly listen to what anyone was saying, instead focusing intently on her lips as they moved. It seemed his reality was moving in slow motion as he stood quietly, letting sinister thoughts echo through his mind. It was odd thinking that his little brother had even concerned himself with a task such as fornication. Especially at such a young age. Though Itachi couldn't exactly speak. He must have been around twelve or thirteen when he'd become interested in the opposite sex. Coincidentally the same time he was forced to murder his whole family, completely unrelated topics of course.

"Well, I'm an Earth user, as are most of my jutsu. I have no Kekkei Genkai but I do, however, have a hiden technique exclusive to my family. Actually, come to think of it, I don't think it's been seen outside the bloodline before," she mused, holding her chin in thought. _Interesting but nothing special_. Itachi thought to himself as he focused his indifferent, unreadable eyes on the girl.

"Well, the only way we're gonna see what you're made of is if you show us, hm."

The girl seemed to tense slightly at the notion that she'd have to show them her abilities. Hesitantly, the girl nodded and slowly reached into the kunai pouch on her backside. Itachi and Deidara shared a look before both of them jumped with speed like lightening to avoid the shuriken that lodged into the ground with equally fast speed. The girl frowned and looked around, cloudy eyes flickering back and forth as she attempted to find her targets. The hall was eerily silent when she felt the presence behind her and managed to jump in time to avoid Itachi swiping her feet out from under her. What she didn't count on was him swinging his leg around and going for a round house kick. Maoru tutted and clutched his foot, scowling up his leg and into his eyes.

Throwing his leg back with aggression, she flipped backwards with the agility of a monkey. Biting her thumb, she performed a serious of hand signs at moderate speed and Itachi managed to read them. An Earth jutsu. So this would be it.

 _"Sekijunkawa no jutsu!"_

The ground rumbled for a moment before Itachi furrowed his brows and flickered back a good few feet to avoid the technique. Great stalagmites of stone shot from the ground in vicious spikes and narrowly missed him. Itachi narrowed his eyes at the technique as he evaluated her performance. The girl growled.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

The girl's eyes widened when she felt something crawling up her leg. Shakily, she looked down and had to hold her breath when she saw the creature that scuttled further and further up her body. She wasted no time hesitating and before he could even exclaim his usual trigger word of _Katsu,_ she'd used a substitution jutsu. Deidara chuckled from his high vantage point where he scanned the battleground for his kouhai. Turning suddenly, he clasped her wrists in his hands, tutting at her. He could have heard her from a mile off with her lack of stealth.

"Maoru-chan, you need to improve your sneaking, yeah." He snorted earning a glare from the girl who huffed through her nose and let out a squeak as he spun her and released, sending her flying through the air. For a moment, the girl panicked but quickly regained her balance and gracefully moved through the air in a slow spin, landing in a crouch, eyes staring over her shoulder at Itachi who raised his hand to his mouth and heaved his chest. The girl's eyes widened in shock. _When did he perform the hand seals?_

Great spouts of fire spat from his mouth before a large ball formed and crackled towards her, singeing everything it touched to ash.

"Shit!" She hissed under her breath before performing some panicked hand movements, disappearing within a puff of smoke behind Itachi who ducked beneath her fist.

"You're slow." He voiced, indifferent to her weak attempt at an attack. The man body flickered away next to Deidara who smugly smirked at the girl. Maoru scowled once more at the two and growled slightly, hating the feeling of being so inferior. The two men stood away from her but were shocked when she disappeared without forming any kind of hand sign. Deidara looked around, unable to sense her chakra or presence anywhere. Itachi just closed his eyes and concentrated, his keen inner eyes finding a spark of chakra. _Above._

Looking up, he frowned. Hanging upside down mere inches from his face was the girl, suspended from a thin metal ninja wire, pointing a sharpened kunai directly in between his eyes. For a moment, they just stared at each other, his black orbs versus her stormy grey ones. Her sandy blonde hair began to trickle down and tickle his cheeks as he stared emotionlessly up at her.

"I killed you, Itachi-Senpai." She smirked before jumping down and sheathing her kunai back into her pouch, tugging the ninja wire back down and pocketing that too. Deidara folded his arms over his chest and frowned.

"Technically, you still lost, yeah."

The girl turned with angry eyes and stomped her foot, reminding the two more superior ninja of a child.

"The hell do you mean by that? He'd have been dead if this were a real fight!" She spat, seriously on the verge of losing her cool. Deidara pointed to the ground beneath them on the ledge and when Maoru turned, she scowled. Itachi looked up at her, the clone disappearing within a puff of smoke. Her eyes glared down at him before Deidara slapped her arm. She hissed in pain, holding her arm.

"What was that for!"

"Dead." He grinned complacently as she rubbed the flesh that was turning pink from the sharp gesture. The girl just rolled her eyes as she jumped down to Itachi who didn't say a word, only observed her behaviour. Maoru hesitantly strolled up to him, head bowed slightly in embarrassment.

"So… how did I do?" She murmured, suddenly feeling pretty shy. These last few days, she hadn't gotten much practise so she was a wee bit rusty but knew in her heart that really, she was all over the place with her technique. When Deidara appeared next to Itachi, she felt slightly intimidated.

"Well, where should we start, yeah? Your movements are sloppy, as are your strategies. You have little to no power in your attacks and your stealth was almost non-existent in that first little stunt you pulled, hm." The girl frowned at his words, honestly she thought she might have done a _bit_ better than that. Itachi's eyes stared up and down her face for a moment before continuing after Deidara.

"You lack intelligence in your technique, you were rash to come to the conclusion that you'd already won the battle and killed me when there were at least sixteen other moves I could have listed in my head to counter your attack. You became conceited and in doing so, you could have easily been killed."

Maoru hung her head slightly, biting her lip, trying to hold back a whimper. She wasn't going to cry but she wanted to bury her head in her hands and groan. Being reprimanded for being careless was something familiar to her and it was the worst feeling in the world.

"But… that last move in particular has proved your worth. It was a successful stealth technique despite your impulsive behaviour. Not only that, but you have a clan jutsu. It could prove valuable to this organisation, although it needs a bit of work to be improved further."

The girl could do nothing but watch Itachi in amazement, feeling a small smile of awe stretch onto her lips. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly when she averted her eyes from him and swallowed hard, suddenly feeling _very_ awkward. What was she supposed to do with this information? And why was it suddenly so quiet? She couldn't really do anything but nod, giving her superiors a shy nod.

"I understand." She voiced quietly, but inside she was screaming. Itachi raised his eyebrow. _That's something else we need to work on._ He could read her like a book. He couldn't help but let a small smile tug on his lips but quickly retracted it when he felt Deidara's eyes boring into him. Deidara raised an eyebrow with piqued interest upon seeing something he thought he'd never see. _Did Itachi just smile?_ Shaking his head, he diverted his gave back to the girl. _Must have been my eyes playing tricks._ But still. Even he felt the awkward air between Itachi and their little _kouhai._

Itachi closed his eyes and sunk his face slightly into the collar of his Akatsuki garment.

"We'll start your training first thing tomorrow. Be ready at 6 AM and be prepared for injury or worse. You may go."

Maoru kept her stoic face and turned on her heel, strolling out of the room but had a subtle little dance of joy when out of sight.

Itachi watched her go before turning back to Deidara who had his arms folded over his chest, a knowing smirk stretched across his face. The raven haired man just ignored him, walking past him to meditate upon the ledge that stretched a few metres above where Maoru had so impulsively attacked before. Deidara moved forward to stare up at him with smug looking eyes.

"What was that about, hm?" He spoke in a bitter-sweet voice, the arrogance rolled off of his tongue like a fluent language in conceitedness that only Deidara knew so well, Itachi thought to himself. The black eyed male crossed his legs upon his high view point and let his hands fall limp upon his thighs. After Deidara recognized that he was being very blatantly ignored, he swivelled and headed out of the room where the girl had left not minutes before.

.

Maoru hummed to herself as she wandered down one of the many halls of the Akatsuki. She'd been at it for about five minutes before she reached the end and entered a hovel of a room through a small arch. And by that, she meant that the room was still fairly large and the arch was still two metres wide but withered in comparison to the many other grand rooms she'd seen in the Akatsuki HQ. Her eyes looked down when her sandals met with soft plush carpet. An eyebrow raised when she stared around, what she guessed, was some form of living area.

It had soft cream carpets and beige walls with ugly dents that marred the soft colour of the walls. In the corner was a sofa that was tattered and shredded with a scratchy looking throw that hung loosely over the arm. In the centre was a worn out looking snooker table where two chipped and splintered snooker cues looked a little worse for wear. She hummed with mild interest when she approached an open door to the side and cocked her head. There was an extended kitchen area to the right of the living area or so it seemed. It was a lot larger than she'd actually expected with it being an extension of the first room. Her first thoughts were that it was originally a large hall of a room before being converted into two moderately sized rooms.

In the kitchen area there wasn't much to look at, it just seemed like a normal kitchen. It had a silver, what seemed to be, oven, sink and refrigerator amongst other everyday appliances. Her stomach suddenly growled when she realized she hadn't eaten since she'd entered the rainy hell that was Amegakure. She'd found a small teahouse that sheltered her from the rain and had ordered at least three rounds of dango after travelling so far so relentlessly. The girl practically ran to the source of food that she so desired and pulled it open, her feline eyes flickering all over the chilly interior before widening in shock. The refrigerator was filled to the brim with meat. When the smell reached her nose, she quickly covered it and slammed the door shut, gagging. She knew that smell all too well. _Rotting human._ Her throat wildly convulsed as she stumbled to the sink and clutched it, suddenly feeling very ill. Her eyes narrowed. _What the hell kind of place is Pain running around here?_ She internally growled.

"What do you think you're doing, little kunoichi?"

The girl turned at the sudden appearance of the large blue, shark-like man she'd been introduced to earlier that day. _Kisame Hoshigaki._ The sandy haired girl had been slightly intimidated of the man in her five foot three stance. H was like a giant compared to her and so much bulkier. The girl leaned against the sink and crossed her arms, eyes narrowed.

"What's it to you?" She murmured, suddenly feeling fairly uncomfortable within the presence of such a strong ninja. She'd heard all about Kisame Hoshigaki and his antics in his home village. Back in Iwa, he was the talk of the town after he joined the Akatsuki and had often become parental warnings to children not to break their curfew. The man stood opposite her and said nothing, just grinned with those sharp, sinister teeth of his, his beady little eyes of his penetrating her small form. The girl rolled her eyes and began rifling through the cupboards.

"I'm looking for food." She mumbled, shifting numerous jars and utensils out of the way in her search. She was suddenly interrupted by a bellowing laugh. It nearly shook the whole room. Turning her glare on him, her mouth pressed into a firm line when she realized that he was, in fact, laughing at her.

"Why didn't you just say so, kid? You won't find any food in here."

The girl blinked in confusion. She _was_ in the kitchen, wasn't she? Looking around, she studied her surroundings from her seat on the floor. Kisame just leaned back against the wall and grinned at her.

"This room isn't what you think it is, little kunoichi. Now follow me, I'll find you some food." He chuckled before walking out of the room with a swish of his cloak. The girl hesitated for a few seconds before warily pushing herself onto her feet and following him out of the building.

.

"So, what do you think of your Itachi-Senpai, then?" Kisame probed as he stared at the scrawny little whelp scoffing down her grilled steak with vigour. He'd never seen something so small devour such large portions and he immediately regretted taking her to the barbeque joint, his money pouch beginning to throb in warning. His usual amused grin refused to leave his face as he downed his shot of sake. The girl stopped eating and blinked at her superior, gulping down her food before speaking.

"What do you mean?"

The shark man began pouring himself another shot as people bustled around them, coming in from the storming rain that poured outside and nearly flooded the streets. It was evening time, the night creeping into the Amegakure skies, the grey clouds darkening further. The barbeque place was a nice place, thought. It was warm and lively, filled with light, laughter and the aromatic smells of cooking foods. It made a good sanctuary from the harsh weather. Kisame eyed the girl as she stared at him.

"Well, do you like him?"

The girl stuttered at his words, cheeks flushed. _Why would you ask a question like that?_ She exclaimed in her head. Kisame just laughed. _That's a yes, then._ The sandy haired girl began spluttering out, trying to defend herself after realizing how awkward she must have looked. Kisame just held his hands up, trying to calm her.

"I didn't mean like that, kid. Calm down."

Maoru sunk in her seat and frowned, eyebrows knitting together. _Smooth one._ She scolded herself silently for acting like such an idiot. She leaned forward on the table and poked her steak with her chopsticks, a scowl on her face. Kisame just down another shot, amused at her unsubtle behaviour.

"He's taken a liking to you, you know."

Her grey eyes shot up to him as she pursed her lips, trying to hide her sudden interest at his words. But as usual, she was so readable it hurt. The girl exhaled slowly, taking a bite into her steak and finding balance in her emotions, thinking of their sparring session earlier. He'd easily read her movements and predicted what she would do. Things like that always used to confuse her until she realized how easy to read she was.

"Why should I care?" She murmured, chewing the medium rare meat enthusiastically. Kisame just chuckled before pouring sake into a shot glass and sliding it towards her as her eyes widened it shock.

"Kisame-Senpai, I'm fifteen!" She exclaimed, pushing it away with distaste. The blue man frowned, the first time she'd actually seen him pull a facial expression that wasn't mocking her.

"And I'm a criminal, drink." He pushed it back, smirking when she finally pressed it to her lips, grumbling about how he was a bad influence on her. She pulled it away slightly and pulled a face when she inhaled the pungent scent before pinching her nose and downing it. Kisame scoffed out a laugh when she coughed and gagged, her eyebrows raising and her eyes squinting as her mouth pulled downwards.

"That was gross."

"Say what you like. It gets you drunk quick." Kisame mused, sipping his own shot and eyeing her. If he didn't have a reputation to uphold, he might have considered taking the girl to bed that night. But amongst his list of crimes, the rape of a fifteen year old wouldn't be one of them. The girl's eyes flickered up to meet his own.

"So what, am I gonna get drunk now?"

Kisame snorted.

"Not on one shot you won't." He said, passing her another, which she downed surprisingly quickly, making his eyebrows raise. She noticed and sheepishly grinned.

"I'm celebrating."

Kisame smiled at her and rested his arms on the table.

"I'm guessing Itachi and Deidara decided to carry on with your training, then. You must be something special."

Maoru smiled at him and slouched in the booth that they sat in, away from the rowdy Amegakure people who were drinking, laughing and pulling at the bar. Grey eyes drifted to the crowd as she watched he people interacting and having a good time. Just not caring what they were doing. She wanted to be like that.

"Yeah I guess so."

Kisame followed her line of vision and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Want me to get us more drinks?"

Maoru hesitated for a moment before her thought process was interrupted by the joyous laughter from the bar, pushing her to say yes. She smiled up at Kisame who stood and eyed her.

"Yeah sure thing."

Kisame chuckled and moved to the bar in his plain black cloak. Maoru watched after him and knitted hr eyebrows, thinking of what he'd mentioned earlier. ' _He's taken a liking to you, you know.'_ Pink lips grimaced. What does that even mean? The man was cold and harsh like a snow storm, something she'd never really known before. He'd seemed completely uninterested in her and trying to read his emotions was like trying to look through a brick wall. When Kisame returned with another bottle of sake and placed it next to their half empty one, Maoru was quick to grab a shot, still hung up on what Kisame had said and why it was effecting her so much.

.

When Itachi became aware after what must have been four hours of meditating, he suddenly became aware of a loud ruckus, which was strange for the Akatsuki base which was usually so quiet. With mild interest, he hopped to the ground and followed the sound. As he drew closer and closer to the sound, he found himself wandering towards the living room. As the noise grew louder, he tried to distinguish voices from the loud laughter. How long had he been meditating for? The base was dark but the light from the living room broke through the shadows of the hall as Itachi approach and finally rounded the corner into the room.

 _"You've got to focus on your strategies! *hic* you're sloppy and slow and you can't be s-so reckless!"_

Itachi glowered at the scene before him. Deidara and Kisame roared with laughter at what Itachi could only describe as a pretty inaccurate impression of him, their cheeks dusted pink and the whole room reeked of alcohol. Empty bottles of beer lined the sofa and atop the green snooker table which a _very_ drunk Maoru sat. Mocking him. When Maoru's two superiors stopped laughing and pursed their lips, the girl hazily followed their eyes to the source of the silence. Grey eyes squinted lightly as she tried to focus her vision, her actions delayed due to the whole bottle of sake she managed to demolish as well as the many beers she'd had upon returning with Kisame.

 _"You got her drunk."_ Came his cold voice. Deidara sniggered at Kisame who tried to stand but staggered, wincing at Itachi's tone. He knew the raven haired man wouldn't approve but he hadn't intended to get the level of drunk he was at either. So when the time came he might be able to defend the girl but at this point, he was so far gone. When they'd left the sake bar, staggering into Deidara who was out for god knows what reason they'd all decided to go back for drinks and then head home. It would have been fine if the girl hadn't insistent they all carry on drinking. Who knew she'd be so much fun.

"Listen, I-Itachi-"

"Geez, what's _with_ you? I can take care of myself!" The girl slurred, scowling at her Senpai whilst blowing into the top of her beer bottle, snorting at the noise it made which caused Deidara to silently laugh to himself, gulping down his own drink.

"Itachi, lighten up, yeah. We're just having a bit of fun." Deidara defended Kisame and the girl who stared at the contents of her bottle with drunken fascination, trying to pick off the label. Itachi glowered at Deidara who awkwardly hid his mouth behind his bottle. Kisame grinned at his partner.

"Why don't you come and join us, Itachi?"

Kisame didn't hold out much hope so was shocked when the man actually _agreed._

"Fine. But only to keep an eye on things." He muttered, rejecting the bottle of beer Kisame offered him. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, glowering at the girl who was sloppily re-tying her long hair into a half up half down bun. Itachi couldn't help but admire her ability to actually function after drinking so much, she was only young after all. If he was imprudent, he'd say she handled it like a champ. But as of now, he was unamused. Especially since they started their training tomorrow morning.

"Itachi-Senpai, come over here!" He was suddenly aware of her attention directed at him, upper body twisted as she gestured him over. His eyebrow ticked in irritation as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His patience would be severely tested that night, he was sure of it. Taking his time, he stalked over to the snooker table and inclined his body against it, next to Maoru who laughed at Kisame's attempts to manoeuvre his feet.

.

Itachi continued to silently observe for what seemed like hours, with an almost comical expression of pure discontent on his face. When it was about half past eleven, Kisame stumbled off to bed, his great bulking body making it difficult for his drunken mind to control and he bumped into many things on the way. Deidara had found things a bit awkward when Kisame left and it didn't take him too long to follow but not before smirking at Itachi who did nothing but watch Maoru groan and lean back a bit too far on the snooker table, sinking down and spilling her left over beer all over herself.

Itachi just closed his eyes and sighed, pushing himself off of the table and observing her. She was pretty much out cold.

 _What are you doing? Just leave her there, she'll be fine._

He told himself this, and yet he still found his feet moving in front of her and his hands reaching out to clasp her waist so he could drag her up and into his arms with ease. Upon moving her, the girl protested slightly, weakly trying to hit his chest and slur some curses before falling limp in his arms. Again, the man just exhaled and carried her out of the room, turning off the lights by the light switch on the way. _Itachi Uchiha, one of the most feared S rank criminals in the world, Sharingan user and devoted baby sitter._ He let out a growl. _How ridiculous the whole situation was._ Finding her room in the darkness of the corridor was a trivial task of ease for him.

Now came the harder part.

As he opened her door rather awkwardly, managing to bump her head twice in the process, he made his way to her bed and laid her down, her hair sprawling out on the white linen sheets. Itachi's black orbs flickered over the girl, the light from the streets outside shining over her face as rain pattered against the windows. As he sat down beside her, he began taking in the smaller details of her face such as the freckles that adorned her cheeks, dusting over in a light spray. He never noticed before but she had beaded earrings in and a string bracelet with a strange pendant.

His eyebrow rose as he took her hand and held up her wrist to his curious gaze.

"Senpai, what are you doing?"

Immediately, he released her wrist causing it to flop down onto her tight belly, and stood to face the door. Maoru pushed herself up slowly, her intoxicated eyes finding it hard to focus on Itachi so much so that in the morning, she might have thought it was just a dream.

"Can you undress yourself?"

The girl bit her lip, it was silence for a few moments before Itachi turned his head, his dark orbs suddenly eyeing her from the corners.

"You spilled alcohol on yourself."

If she was sober, she would have been completely mortified at what he just said, but in her drunken state she just nodded, suddenly feeling very ill. Itachi took that as a cue to leave.

"Itachi!"

The man stopped in his tracks before he could touch the door handle. She hesitated for a moment before pressing herself to speak.

"Goodnight…"

…

"Get some sleep." He replied, his voice sounding a lot softer than he intended. The girl smiled to herself as he left with the click of the door, falling back down on her back, rolling to her front and hugging the pillow close to her damp body, but she was too far gone to care.

On the other side, Itachi stood for a moment before retiring to his own room, eyes closing. _What am I doing?_

 _._

 **So, that's chapter two down! I hope in this chapter you really got a feel of Maoru's flaws. I know in the last one they weren't as apparent but hopefully you began to sort of familiarize yourself with her a bit. I will go on to describe a few that I can think of from the top of my head. Okay, so first off, Maoru hates to lose if she feels like she deserved to win and can act very childish at times when she wants to. She's also very impulsive and out of her modest range of skills, intelligence and power aren't one of them. She's still moderately bright but only on impulsive actions that requires her to be.**

 **Maoru also has a very addictive personality which means, hopefully you all saw with the bar scene, that she craves a certain way of living and will make silly decisions to feel satisfied. This also may link into her past but I'll go on a bit about that in the next chapter. One thing that I would also like to point out is that I'm trying my very best not to make Itachi too OOC. I feel like it's quite hard when writing from his perspective as Itachi's quite a private character who's very hard to read most of the time but I will continue doing what I'm doing until somebody complains.**

 **Also, I will be explaining about Maoru's very curious bracelet in the near future so stay tuned!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please F &F and review if you're keen! Thank you all, see you in a week!** __


	3. Acceptance

**Hello my dearest readers, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I'd just like to say that I really appreciate the patience of you all, I've been having my university interviews so I've been pretty busy :/ However! Here is the third chapter AT LAST, of Flowers from stone. Enjoy!**

 _Flowers from stone_

"Your posture is wrong."

 _Smack._

"You're not using enough force."

 _Smack.  
_  
"You are being too slow."

 _Smack.  
_  
" _Crouch,_ I said, _crouch."_

 _Smack._

Maoru's heavy eyes twitched as her raven haired superior continued using a bamboo cane to _'correct'_ her every time he deemed her to be making some kind of mistake, trivial or not. Still, as he circled her as she assumed a crouching position, almost like a bird of prey, she couldn't help but think that he seemed to be a _bit_ more brutal towards her that morning. His coal orbs never left her rigid form, watching every twitch of a muscle, every pulse of a vein, every bead of sweat that rolled down in between her-

 _Smack._

"Itachi-Senpai, I didn't do anything wrong!" She seethed, a red welt of pain burning into her exposed lower back. Itachi closed his eyes and turned, cane in hand.

"A master needn't explain himself to the student."

Maoru scoffed and collapsed on her rear. They'd been training for four hours nonstop, with no breaks in between, just the same merciless teachings of her Senpai. She must have spent a good two hours assuming the crouched position as he attempted to teach her how to be more stealth-like, rather than an elephant stomping about the place. The other two had been spent in numerous self-awareness exercises to improve her responsiveness to the world around them. Or in other words, meditating for an hour and dodging the cane when she felt it near her face which more often than not, she failed and ended up being beaten to a pulp. The girl whined and sprawled out on the cold, gritty stone floor, some of the small flecks of the gravelly texture sticking to her wet, hot skin and cooling it. But the feeling was uncomfortable.

"Senpai, we've been at it for _hours_ now. Can we not take a break? I'm not learning anything!"

Itachi turned swiftly, with a swish of his cloak and lunged for her. The girl squeaked and parried to the left with the swiftness of a jackrabbit. His cane came crashing down onto the hard stone floor with a _thwack!_ The girl frowned at her master but still couldn't ignore the satisfaction of his cane missing her stinging flesh. Itachi's calm but cold eyes never left the spot where she had been, only to close in response to her words before he spoke.

"Your mind may be oblivious, but your body is learning to respond. Do not be so impulsive to speak when you do not know what you are speaking about, otherwise you will find yourself not reaching your full potential. You seem to be forgetting that I am your master and whatever I say is law, you will follow it or you will not succeed."

Maoru's lips pursed as she stared at him in her crouched position. Funny. Performing a move like that would have made her strain her back usually with the way she executed it through a series of sideward rolls and flips. Grudgingly, she had to admit that he had been right. _Again._ Her cheeks flushed, embarrassed. She'd only met the man a few weeks ago and she was already beginning to find a correlation in the way he spoke to her. _He was always right._ Sliding into a standing position, she put her hands behind her back and swung her upper body left and right coyly, offering him a small smile.

"Okay, but can we eat something?" She cooed, fluttering her eyelashes at him. The man sighed and followed her standing motion. Silently, he strode past her, barely touching her arm on the way out and skulked into the hall. Guessing that meant for her to follow, she grinned and followed him out. Another correlation, if you will. Her Senpai _did_ have one fault. And that was that he was fairly weak willed when she persisted, something she'd picked up on fairly quickly. She stared at the back of his head as they walked in silence.

.

 _"Itachi… Goodnight…"_

 _…_

 _"Get some sleep."_

 _._

The girl's eyebrows furrowed. That night a few weeks ago was a bit of a haze for her, she'd consumed so much alcohol, especially for a first timer, that she couldn't actually distinguish her dreams from reality. She remembered bumping into Deidara, heading back to the bar for more drinks, the occasional flirty behaviour of her blonde haired senior and so on up until Kisame went to bed. And even then, her memory grew foggy. She wondered if it had been real. Even so, she probably wouldn't be drinking again for a while, the morning after had been a nightmare. She barely woke up as Itachi had stormed into her room. Apparently, although he had said six o'clock, it was common for Akatsuki members to be at the training hall half an hour earlier. How was she meant to know? Of course, being sprawled out on her mattress at five minutes to six didn't help her alibi, but still.

She cocked her head as a smile graced her lips, she decided to be a bit ballsy.

"Itachi-Senpai, I never thanked you for that night."

…

For a moment, there was an awkward silence as Itachi seemed to completely ignore her. The girl persisted.

"For taking me to bed."

This caused her Senpai to stop and she held back a mischievous smirk despite the temptation to laugh. Her master was also fairly respondent to her seemingly innocent euphemisms, something she'd always found funny with men like him. Always _so_ serious. Itachi turned to her and she quickly frowned when his stony eyes seemed to be searching her, almost curiously.

"I… don't know what you're talking about."

And with that, he turned from her and carried on his way to the living area. The girl frowned as she failed to notice the small smile that twitched onto her superior's lips. Nimble fingers twirled with sandy blonde locks in thought. Maybe it was all a dream then? Either way, Maoru was hungry and proceeded to speed down the hallway after her Senpai.

.

Itachi's eyes were cool and collected as he sat on the shabby sofa, thoughts currently occupying the events of the night a few weeks before. His eyes hardened when he heard what could only be yelling coming from the door. Immediately, his thoughts rushed to his Kouhai before he pushed them down and remained seated and calm. There was nothing to concern himself over. After all, a ninja who could not protect themselves with their own power did not deserve to be a ninja at all.

A second had barely passed before the door slammed open and the muffled arguments had become all too real and all too irritating to Itachi's pounding headache.

"I fucking told you already, the guy was dressed like a hooker, how was I supposed to know he was your stupid fucking bounty?"

"Because, Hidan, you should have checked who you were decapitating before going on with your blasted ritual."

"Don't you _dare_ bring Jashin-Sama into this, you decrepit old fucker."

 _Thud._

"Fuck!"

Coal eyes watched quietly as the pair stormed into the room, sopping wet from the rain and stinking of earth and blood. Hidan's silver head seemed to bob up and down behind Kakuzu's leather-clad one before it stopped and turned, sensing another presence in the room. Kakuzu too seemed to notice and looked over his shoulder.

"Itachi." The older of the two stated in acknowledgment before carrying on through the room, most likely aiming for the bedroom that he shared with his sadistic partner. Itachi only nodded to him before his cold eyes fell onto Hidan who just sneered at him, his handsome face twisting in an unruly fashion.

"Creepy bastard…" He mumbled. Itachi ignored him before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a crinkled and torn book about shuriken techniques that he'd read twelve times over already. Shortly after, did he hear a _thud!_ His eyes daren't move from their already engrossed position on the third page before he heard a louder _Slam!_ And a very familiar voice.

"S-sorry!"

"What the fuck do you think you're playing at, girly? Shoving into Kakuzu like that."

Maoru was startled when the silver haired man's strong hand smacked into the wall next to her head and caged her like a canary. Her lithe body was no match for his big burly one and it scared her a little. Perhaps she was stupid, but she was really only coming to terms with the types of people she was dealing with there in the Akatsuki. Only now was she beginning to realize how ridiculously strong they all were. In comparison, she was little more than a child playing ninja.

It was only when The large man's face lingered threateningly close to her own and she could see that murder intent in his eyes that could only belong to a stone cold killer was she grateful for her Senpai's intervention.

Itachi was up and between the very startled Maoru and the _dangerously_ aggravated Hidan within the blink of an eye and grabbed Hidan's wrist before he could touch her.

Maoru watched in amazement with almost a child-like admiration as the raven haired ninja came to her much needed rescue from the silver haired brute who seemed to tower over her and trap her with his aggressive, red-violet stare. She'd been strolling down the hall, admittedly trapped in a world of her own when she'd turned into the living room and smacked into an unknown object. She hadn't actually thought much of it. She knew pretty much all of whom it could be, either of her two superiors, Kisame or Sasori, who she hadn't actually seen much of, or the other subordinates. You could imagine her surprise when she had to crane her neck _all_ the way up to see a pair of very green, very _angry_ eyes boring into her.

She was even more startled when she was roughly shoved into the wall by another man she'd never even laid eyes upon in her life. The two were so much bigger and burlier than her that she'd felt her knees buckle under the pressure of their angry stares, she was pretty intimidated. So when Itachi had appeared before her and saved her from a fate most likely worse than death, she was fairly grateful, and was pretty sure she'd let out a small, _'oh my god, thank you.'_ Under her breath.

"Move out the fucking way, dick breath. I'm gonna teach this little _Bitch_ some manners." The silver haired man averted his gaze to her and grinned manically once he captured her eyes, a sight not all too thrilling for Maoru when it involved the implication of some serious maiming on her part. Itachi stood still in front of her and she flickered her gaze to the back of his head, cheeks flushing slightly when she realized he was staring at her out of the corner of his eyes. And boy, did he look mad.

"Stand down, Hidan. I need my student in one piece, after all."

There was a moment of silence before Kakuzu pushed his silver haired partner behind him, realizing that the violent priest wouldn't back down unless he was the one to make him.

"No harm done, I'm sure. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." He grumbled. Maoru nearly choked on her spit. It was only a minute ago when that same green eyed man seemed to be strangling her with his stare. Closing her eyes tightly, she stepped closer to Itachi's back and revelled in his calming presence. It didn't do much and made her feel like a vulnerable little kid, but it was comforting.

"Cheh," Hidan took a more relaxing stance and ran his hand through his stiff, silver hair, feeling the waxy texture and attempting to compose himself. "Whatever. Why does it even matter? You fucking her or something, Itachi?"

Maoru scowled.

A frown made its way to her face as she stared at the man who crossed his muscled arms over his chest. She hadn't noticed before but his cloak was ripped to shreds, diagonal slashes of deep crimson marred his pale, youthful flesh but he seemed so unfazed. In fact, he seemed unfazed by everything. If she didn't feel so damn inferior, she might have told the guy where to shove it. Hell, she might have done it herself. But staring at the two intimidating new Akatsuki members, she realized it might not be the best idea-

"That is of no importance to you."

…

The room fell silent awkwardly as Itachi spoke his words that seemed to say nothing but also, so much to the two other members. But said most of all, to the girl who stood behind him, mouth agape and eyes wide, practically internally screaming at her usually stoic Senpai. _What the hell's he playing at implying things like that!_

Hidan was the first to express his shock and lashed out, whacking Kakuzu's arm whose eye just twitched, irritated at the gesture. The silver haired priest choked out a dry laugh as his thin eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Well, I was going to say how fucking gobsmacked I was to hear the great _Itachi Uchiha_ has been balls deep in pussy but _damn."_

The older male seemed to roll his green eyes.

"Enough, Hidan. Nobody is interested in your vulgar comments."

"Fuck you, old timer! If anything you should be fucking ecstatic I stood up for your wrinkly ass but cheh. That's the appreciation I get."

And with silence responding to his partner's continuing swearing, the towering man known as Kakuzu made his swift exit out of the room, attracting a cussing Hidan with him. Maoru watched them go and after a few minutes of waiting for the arguing to fade, she finally let out a deep breath of relief. _You really know how to cause trouble, you know that?_ She calmed herself and finally realized that Itachi had been patiently awaiting for her to let go of his cloak. She stammered out an apology before releasing him and distancing herself as much as she could, pressing herself up against the wall.

The man seemed to hesitate before turning swiftly and trapping her against the wall, causing her to yelp in surprise. _W-what…_ She stared into his eyes that had turned a horrid crimson, tomoes swirling in aggravation. Her own stormy grey eyes widened slightly as she felt hypnotized in under that hateful gaze. She bit her lip, feeling her eyes well up. _Those eyes._

"I-Itachi-Senpai…"

"Do you want to get us both killed." He growled out, causing her to hiccup and shake her head.

"No…"

The man narrowed his eyes when he saw her struggling to hold back tears. Something he found pitiful and childish. He stepped back and blinked, his red eyes reverting back to their original onyx black. The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment before she sniffled.

"I'm…"

Itachi crossed his arms over his chest as he frowned, awaiting her apology. It wasn't seeming too promising at the present, seeing as she could barely make out a sentence without nearly crying. The sandy haired girl folded her arms behind her back and leaned on them before staring at her Senpai from beneath her thick lashes.

"…I'm sorry."

… __

Maoru waited eagerly for Itachi to say something, even closing her eyes and biting her lip, expecting the worst; expecting him to scream at her about how _'A ninja shouldn't be so careless and clumsy,'_ About how she was a _'A bumbling fool with no common sense.'_ Instead, there was nothing. Her eyes that had dried up slightly opening and squinted at him, her face cringing, still worrying that he would raise his voice. Instead, there he stood, a stoic expression across his handsome face.

"You will not cause so much trouble for me again, do you understand?"

Itachi's voice was the same icy barrier but there was also something quite… soft about it?

Maoru could only raise an eyebrow as his lips moved, mouthing words that only flew over her swooning head. Was she developing a crush on her Senpai? Somehow, that felt slightly cliché… Still, a warm blush spread over her cheeks as he rambled on about _'the principles on a ninja,'_ and all she could focus on was what he'd said earlier. That and what was underneath that cloak. _'That is of no importance to you.'_ Gods above, he'd been so damn casual about it, like he _wanted_ them to think something like that could be happening. Her face continued to heat up as he carried on talking away.

With the clearing of her throat, she stopped Itachi in his lecture causing his brow to raise curiously.

"If you don't mind, Itachi-Senpai, I'm gonna reflect on… your wise teachings, erm, in my room."

The man just stood motionless, mouth still ajar awkwardly as her words interrupted his seemingly one sided conversation. If he wasn't mistaken, was she trying to get away from him? He folded his arms over his chest, purple nail varnish shining in the dull light of the grey painted sky window, a frown soon marring his perfect lips. The girl seemed to shuffle under his gaze and also appeared to be inching closer to the hallway, a nervous grin revealing her pearly whites.

The two seemed to speak to each other with only their body language for a minute which had Maoru wondering if she was telepathic. Finally, Itachi let out a sigh.

"Alright."

The girl shot out of the room like a bullet and was gone in the blink of an eye. The raven hair man just closed his onyx orbs and buried his face in his cloak, returning to the training room. He hoped she knew to return to the same destination after lunch. Their day was far from over, after all.

.

Itachi stood in between his student and Deidara in their leader's quarters, awaiting to give the weekly report of Maoru's progress but the man was late by at least fifteen minutes already, probably dealing with the… complications of the other two subordinates placed under Kisame and Sasori. Or to put it simply, the lack there of. Both had undergone strange disappearances which, in the Akatsuki, usually meant death. Deidara and Itachi had worked it out that one would train the girl in the morning and the other, in the evening. Usually, they swapped shifts. But Itachi found himself trying to coax his way into training her in the evenings, just to prevent her from getting wrecked with her less _responsible_ Senpai who seemed to love leading her astray from he and Itachi's training regime. It irritated the raven haired man to no end. Especially since it happened increasingly.

The man turned to look at his little protégé and couldn't help but think positively. She'd shown massive improvement in the past few weeks of being there but still had a long way to go. He'd soon have her shaped and ready to be a successful Akatsuki subordinate in no time. But still, he frowned.

There was something that bothered him.

Since she'd been there, he hadn't found a single thing that could give him clues about her connections with Orochimaru. And he needed to know. Not just for the sake of his undercover mission, but he had a burning desire to find out more about the girl. Now, he was never a man to pry but it also brought up questions within him about her relation to Sasuke. Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly at her as he studied her. She was too innocent and, no offense to her, clueless to be up to something. And yet he still got the feeling that she wasn't being totally truthful.

He blinked when he realized she was giving him a slightly nervous smile and that he'd been staring her down intensely for the past five minutes.

"What is it, Senpai?"

Itachi closed his eyes and turned to face the shadowed parts of the grand hall, regaining his cool appearance.

"Nothing."

The raven haired man could feel, not only her gaze but Deidara's also, on him and whilst he could say that he was indifferent to it, it made him slightly unnerved to have been caught staring. After what felt like a good half an hour of Itachi being silent and Deidara and their student having the occasional chat, a figure moved within the shadows and stepped into the light. Finally.

Intense, ringed eyes flickered to each member before settling on the girl, apathetic.

"I apologize for my tardiness. I had some… matters to attend to."

The three before him were silent as Itachi shuffled forward slightly.

"I have our weekly feedback from the subordinate, leader-Sama."

The man seemed to address Itachi with his piecing grey eyes and nodded for him to continue. Whilst behind Itachi, Maoru became fidgety. She always did in front of the Akatsuki leader, he was a powerful man with an aura as crushing as a god. It always seemed to make her feel more aware of her surroundings. As if she'd be jumped any minute. Deidara seemed to notice and give her a smirk beneath the collar of his overly large Akatsuki cloak which made her a bit more at ease. One of the things Maoru had come to appreciate was Deidara's chilled out attitude at times like this .If he hadn't been there to balance Itachi out, she surely would have had a mental break down. Sometimes it was just nice to not have to worry about the serious stuff. Deidara was a more _'take life as it goes,'_ kind of guy, which was refreshing. Itachi was very much so, _'Work hard and strive.'_ Both of which she was awful at.

"For the most part, we've been focusing on improving genjutsu resilience, battle strategy and reflexes whilst looking over the basic subordination requirements such as medic jutsu, summoning and the general rules of being an Akatsuki subordinate and what is expected of such a ninja."

Pein made no noise to respond to Itachi and just stared at the girl, his eyes boring into her very soul. She made no move to break the awkward contact, just shuffled under his glower. _Keep your chill, girl. It'll be over soon._

"Very well, Itachi. And at what level would you say the subordinate is currently?"

 _The subordinate._ It's not like she had a _name_ or anything. She gulped and her gaze flickered to the back of Itachi's head. She didn't understand how he was so impenetrable. She'd be a stuttering mess at that point.

"I would say high Chunin level, bordering Jounin level ambitiously."

The leader seemed to respond positively, and by that I mean his rinnegan eyes shot back to Itachi before turning to face the shadows.

"And what of your training sessions, Deidara."

The blonde bomber smirked as he stared at the girl which instantly made her narrow her eyes at him. _He wouldn't say anything stupid now, would he?_ She thought and he seemed to read her mind, mouthing a subtle, _'Play nice, yeah,'_ before clearing his throat.

"She responds well to tai jutsu, ninjutsu and special jutsu in particular, yeah. Just need to work on that terrible stamina of hers, un."

The girl held her hand up to her forehead, gaze shooting to the ground as her cheeks heated. _Deidara-Senpai…_ She internally growled. She swore she'd destroy him tonight when they went out on the town with the rest of the Akatsuki members. The god-like man turned to look at her, his grey eyes shooting her down from the corner of his eyes.

"Mostly positive feedback. Good. Because you'll be going on a mission. Just Itachi and Maoru Tochi. Deidara, you have a mission with Sasori. I will discuss the information with you, Deidara and Itachi. As for you, you have made it this far and I congratulate you on that factor at least. But you have yet to prove your worth to this organisation. Let this mission; your first mission, show that and you will have earned a solid position as a subordinate and in the future, maybe even a member. You are dismissed." Leader's god-like voice boomed and echoed throughout the stony walls of the grand hall of his quarters.

As for Maoru, she didn't even pay attention completely to his dismissal, instead, she didn't even contain the smile that stretched across her face, grey eyes sparkling with pride. The sandy haired girl literally had to stop herself from squealing and jumping for joy.

When Itachi turned his head to see why she hadn't moved, his eyes trailed over her face, taking in her over the moon expression. Pursing his lips, he tried not to smile. But it was damn hard not to when he saw those dimples on her cheeks when she _genuinely_ smiled. Coughing, he broke her from her happy little bubble and she released a small, _'oh!'_ Before hurrying out, head lowered as she grinned to herself. Itachi scolded himself at the feeling of his chest tightening. _Not good. Nope. Definitely not good._ He turned his head in front of his cloaked form and frowned. _Just focus on the mission. On the big picture._

 _._

 **Hello all! Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter and I will try to post regularly, if not every week. It's easier said than done, I swear. But yeah, I hope you all started getting an idea on what Maoru's strengths and weaknesses are in this chapter in particular. I also want to develop her relationships with the different characters. Feel free to ship her with Deidara but the thing between them is purely playful and shouldn't be taken too seriously. I just feel like Deidara's a charming little rascal who knows how to get what he wants so yeah. Also, Hidan and Kakuzu are cuties, just saying. I wanted to add that love hate part in there just because they make me giggle so much. In the next few chapters, I will reveal more about Maoru's past and her relationship with ol' duck butt. So yeah, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, again, I'm so sorry for the long wait but as I said, I've just been so busy. Please F &F and review! I really would appreciate reviews to keep me motivated! **


	4. Never have I ever

**Hello again all! Here be the fourth chapter of** _ **Flowers from stone,**_ **I hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! From now on, this story will be rated M for sexual scenes and mature themes, please view cautiously if easily offended by mature content!**

 **Thank you all for following, favouriting and reviewing, you have no idea how much motivation it gives me to carry on with this story.** __

 _Flowers from stone_ __

Maoru groaned as her covers were thrown off of her body and her skin grew goose bumps at the chilly, early morning air.

"Get up. We leave in an hour."

The girl had to practically pry her lids open and she internally cried when she realized how dark it was. _It must be five in the friggin' morning!_ Her hazy grey eyes trailed slowly to the raven haired culprit who awoke her from her peaceful, practically comatose, slumber, a scowl making its way to her haggard face.

"What time is it…?" Her voice was croaky and she found it difficult focusing on the man. Was she still drunk from last night? With the speed of a snail, she pulled herself up and out of bed, in search of clothes. Because at that point, she was pretty sure she was only wearing panties and a tank top. She might have been embarrassed had he not just completely interrupted her sweet dreams and royally pissed her of. Itachi merely watched her in the dark shadows of the room, his black orbs watching her stumble around in the early morning light.

"Four thirty AM."

A small whine of disapproval came from the girl's throat as she managed to find her tight leather-look, two piece play suit. The man retained the smile making its way to his lips before he turned to walk out the door.

"Be outside the building by five thirty AM."

Maoru could only narrow her eyes at his silhouette as he disappeared through the portal to hell from whence he came, or in other words, the door.

After an hour of putting on her clothes, ninja gear, a plain black cloak and concealing the small pimple that had broken out on her forehead, she headed out through the door whilst combing through her hair and styling it in the usual lopsided up-do. The base was quiet that early in the morning, save Deidara bumping past her in the living area and smirking at her to which she briefly flipped him off. She didn't know how he did it, to say she wasn't a morning person was an understatement. She could tell he'd struggled though. His visible eye was a lot more swollen than usual and looked like it was having trouble staying open. She guessed that's what they got for drinking until early hours of the morning. They must have gone to bed at about two.

The cold, harsh wind and rain was indeed an unpleasant experience. It seemed even worse when she saw Itachi casually leaning against the opposite wall, beneath a street lamp with his arms crossed, drops of rain trailing down his handsome brow. If she hadn't been so moody, she might have even thought he looked hot. But it was ridiculous o' clock so instead, all she could do was let out a small, _"Let's get this over with,"_ Begrudgingly. And they began their journey.

The pair travelled for hours, the sky becoming light and the sun rising as soon as they left that cursed town where it rained constantly. They jumped through trees swiftly and stealthily, only stopping when the sun was positioned in the sky to show them it was late afternoon. Itachi stopped which caused Maoru to nearly crash into him, giving him a questionable stare once she'd balanced herself on the thick branch. The man's coal irises flickered about the forest as he silently scanned the perimeter.

"We will stop here and rest."

.

"So, what even is our mission, Senpai? You never told me."

Maoru munched on a rice ball that Itachi had so graciously made her. At the time of accepting, she'd made a joke about how if the whole S ranked criminal thing didn't work out, he'd make a pretty decent house wife. He never responded. She thought it had been pretty good, anyway. The man sat across from her against the trunk of the large tree they were perched upon, quietly eating his own lunch before his eyes blinked over to the petite girl who stared at him with unwavering curiosity. It was at times like that, he realized how young she was with her feline eyes wide with childish wonder. Like a little duckling following its mother duck.

"We are on an elimination assignment. Meaning we must exterminate a certain man under the alias of _Kamakiri,_ or, the _praying mantis._ Kamakiri used to be a source of intelligence for the Akatsuki but since a few months ago, has severed all ties with us. After taking a hefty sum of our money for his services, he managed to go incognito."

Maoru sponged in the information silently as she continued to take bites out of her rice ball, teeth cutting through the soft delicacy with ease.

"He's been spotted near the land of earth by one of the Akatsuki's spies. It's our job to find him, interrogate him and kill him."

He watched as the girl froze up, completely stopping all of her movement like a rabbit caught in the headlights. She ceased all breathing as she stared over Itachi's shoulder, feline eyes wide with shock. The man simply raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a problem?"

Maoru hesitated for a second before she followed the lump of food in her throat.

"N-no…" She shakily replied. Her Senpai seemed to think nothing of it, to which she was grateful. When he closed his eyes to rest, the girl just stared at him, eyebrows furrowing.

 _I swore I'd never go back there…_

. __

After much coaxing and whinging on Maoru's part, Itachi's will finally crumbled and he agreed to let them stay at a hot spring resort for the night after nearly passing one. He'd actually hoped the girl wouldn't notice but to his dismay, she'd eagerly pointed at it squealing, _"Senpai, look! Can we stay, pretty please? It's been so_ _ **long**_ _since I bathed in a spring!"_ Or… something along those lines. His first response had been a firm no but when she persisted, pouting each time he would reject, he didn't really have much of a choice other than to say yes. A soft smile tugged at his lips when she'd jumped for joy and grabbed the sleeve of his cloak, dragging him inside, completely disregarding his personal space.

The girl had fought suspiciously hard for them to share a room and a hot spring, she really knew this. But she was just lucky that Itachi was probably the most oblivious man in the world when it came to the opposite sex. To be honest, she had put up a pretty good argument for it, saying it would be cheaper and safer for them to share, he'd just stared at her apathetically before nodding to the girl at the table who had no idea what was going on because she was too busy ogling the man and staring Maoru down.

The feline eyed girl in question made it clear that they were _together,_ nudging into her Senpai and giving the girl mutual looks of contempt. Even though technically they _weren't_ together but still.

Dear god, when did she get so crazy?

Itachi paid this no mind, _thankfully,_ and led the girl to their shared room which was located on the second floor and in the third room on the left. When they got in, the girl's grin nearly tore her face in two when she saw there was a singular double bed. That was it. She had to stop herself from cackling insanely as her _very_ attractive Senpai blinked.

"Oh no, Senpai. There's only one bed. Oh well, I guess that means we'll have to share it." She feigned pity, eyeing her superior closely before he turned to her and she averted her gaze away.

"I'll take the sofa."

She bit her lip to avoid looking so crestfallen as he removed his Akatsuki cloak and lay it on the dresser. _I've turned into such a little pervert,_ The girl sighed internally in irritation before doing the same to her own travelling cloak, practically throwing it onto the bed just as she plopped onto her back, nearly letting out a content gasp as the soft mattress cupped her aching bones from travelling all day.

"You can use the spring to bathe first, just let me know when you've come out." Itachi stated before reaching into his ninja pouch for his book. The girl sat up quickly which gaged his attention. She gave him a hard look with had him raising a brow at her.

"But Senpai what if there are… perverts." She grumbled, scowl still in place. Itachi hesitated for a moment before his coal orbs drifted back down to his tattered book that he opened with his right thumb.

"You're strong, you can handle yourself."

Maoru bit her lip.

"But, Itachi-Senpai," Again, his eyes shot to her. He noted that his student's cheeks were burning a considerable amount and she'd began to twiddle her thumbs. "W-what if there's a lot of them…"

There was a brief moment of tense silence where her teacher was thinking about what to say and do before he sighed, standing and shutting his book with a firm, _'clap.'_

"Fine. I will accompany you. But I refuse to disrobe myself. It would be… improper."

The girl didn't even bother hiding her smirk as he murmured the last word into the collar of his Akatsuki cloak, eyes closing as he remained cool and collected. Maoru's stormy eyes twinkled mischievously as she slid to a standing position and laced her fingers behind her back innocently.

"I could always assist."

Again, there was an uncomfortable silence before Itachi left the room. The blonde girl just stifled a laugh and followed him out.

.

"This was _such_ a good idea, don't you think?" Maoru groaned, wearing nothing but her birthday suit as she sat in the shallow end of the steaming spring, attempting to tie her long hair into a high bun and not even bothered that her Senpai sat behind her at the table drinking tea, eyes watching her every move.

The night sky was particularly starry that evening which made it quite a nice time to relax like that. His black irises watched as beads of water rolled down the girl's pale back and stopped just above the coxes, just where the water hid the rest of her naked form. The man had to regain his composure as she innocently grabbed for the soap to the left side of her and he'd very much seen a peak of naked side… _boob._ He nearly choked on his tea, his usually calm composure being affected by the _damn_ heat of the spring, or so he would like to believe.

"Are you sure you don't want to join me, Itachi-Senpai? It's kind of lonely in here."

His breath was caught in his throat as thoughts raced through his mind. If he said no, what were the consequences? Probably, he could just sit there drinking tea like the responsible ninja and older brother he was. If he said yes…

 _"S-senpai, don't stop!"_

 _Grinding, thrusting and splashing ensued as he pounded from behind into the girl whose face darkened by each push of her teacher's body. Her eyes glazed over with something akin to dirty, taboo sin. With each thrust, her plump breasts were pushed into the stone wall, pink,_ or what he imagined were, _little nipples rubbing against the rough texture as she mewled like a sex kitten._ Now, he liked the sound of that. _The man held her arms behind her back with his right hand, his left grasping her shoulder to pull her tight little body into his own lean one, grunts emitting from his throat._

 _The girl bounced herself onto him rapidly, staring at him over her shoulder, cheeks burning red and stray hair sticking to her forehead where a sheen of condensation from the hot spring steam and their own raunchy activities shone. Itachi threw his head back, letting go of her arms so he could grasp her buttocks, pulling her as close as he could into his throbbing-_

"Senpai? Are you okay? You seem kind of spacey today?"

The man blinked slowly before turning his attention to the female who had moved to the deeper end, thankfully, the water coming up to her shoulder. The girl smiled at his smugly, almost as if she _knew_ what he was thinking. Maoru raised her arms out of the water and adjusted her bun, pulling at it so the long hair fell loose over her front, shielding her breasts which she raised from the water. It was pretty easy to know what he was thinking when he was staring at her for a good ten minutes. The man immediately looked back to his now tepid cup of tea in his hands, completely silent.

"I'm fine."

"You don't have to look away, you know. You're my Senpai. It's only natural for a teacher to know _all_ of his student. It's just as normal as showing you all of my jutsu."

Maoru noticed how tightly he seemed to be clenching his hands around his cup which caused her to raise an eyebrow. After all, she did kind of have a point. It was pretty normal for a student to show their bodies to their master. Not even on intimate terms. It was a part of the whole process of being on those sorts of terms. It shouldn't be awkward between them, really. But it did make it kind of fun knowing just how prudish and sexually awkward Itachi was. It was strange how _both_ the Uchiha brothers seemed completely oblivious to the sex appeal they both possessed.

"I… It's not necessary. If you need me, I will be back in the room."

The girl frowned as he stood and hurriedly made his way inside under the illumination of the warm coloured lanterns that were strung around the perimeter. Maybe she'd pushed him too far this time. A pang of guilt and rejection shot through her chest as she pouted, sinking her whole body into the hot water. _Dammit. I nearly had him._ Was it bad that she'd began considering it a twisted little game to try and seduce him? It was fun at the start, but now she felt quite competitive. Especially when there were other women around as she found today.

Don't get her wrong, she wasn't vain at all. But she wasn't oblivious to the affects her physical appearance had on men. Not after… past experiences.

Blowing bubbles in frustration, her brows furrowed. Before an idea popped into her head. The murky water hid the smirk that formed on her face. She looked around the area, grey eyes filled with cunning and sly intention. She knew something that _could_ help her in her little… game.

.

Itachi stirred slightly when he sensed another presence nearing the room, his coal orbs flickered open and looked to the clock that ticked on the wall. It was eleven o'clock, how had Maoru been down there for three hours. His eyes widened slightly.

"Don't tell me…" He growled.

"Senpai!" The door slammed open and the light turned on, nearly blinding his already damaged eyes. He blinked and sat up from the sofa, irritation written all over his expression he was sure as he scowled over to the door. Just as he'd thought. The girl leaned heavily on the door frame, a bottle of what he could only guess was sake in her hand as she smiled at him, face flushed. She was as drunk as a skunk. Itachi raised an eyebrow to her.

"You're turning into quite the alcoholic." He grumbled, rubbing his face as she waltzed in, pushing the door shut with her hip as she held two shot glasses in one hand and the alcohol in the other.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm bored, let's play a drinking game that Deidara-Senpai taught me!" She beamed, eyes hazy. He didn't know how much she'd had to drink already and he didn't want to _know_ where she'd got it from but he frowned at her.

"No."

The girl stopped in her tracks and sulked slightly before plopping onto the ground with little to no grace in her bathrobe that very nearly fell open, laying the bottle and the shot glasses onto the wooden floor in front of her. She leaned against the bed.

"I guess I'll just have to play it by myself then. I hope you can sleep knowing you've upset your student, Senpai. I, personally, wouldn't but oh well-"

"Fine. I'll play your silly games. But only for a little while since we have to be up early tomorrow." Itachi begrudgingly gave in, something of a correlation as of recent. He sighed, moving from the couch and onto the floor, mirroring her. The girl smiled at him innocently before opening the bottle and pouring two shots.

"Okay, so the game's called 'never have I ever.' It's basically where one person says something that they're never done and if nobody else has done it, they drink. _But,_ if another player has done said thing, they drink instead."

Itachi eyed the girl suspiciously. Was this some kind of trick to find out more about him? Maoru picked up her shot glass, urging her Senpai to do the same, and stifling a giggle that he was all too aware of with her other forearm.

"I'll go first, 'kay?"

Itachi just blinked. Maoru seemed to think for a moment before her eyes shot to him.

"Never have I ever used a fireball jutsu."

Her Senpai tutted as she giggled.

"Surely that isn't fair considering you know that already. It defeats the point of the game."

The girl shrugged and smirked at him.

"The point of the game is to get absolutely trashed, Senpai. But you're allowed to say things you already know about the other person. Drink up." She cooed, laughing when he apathetically lifted the shot to his lips and threw his head back, taking the burning liquid with him. Upon his head coming back down, he gagged slightly, frowning at the disgusting drink. He'd never really been a fan of alcoholic beverages. He was more of a tea and sweets person. Maoru let out a loud laugh as she filled up his shot glass, finding it particularly hilarious at the faces he was pulling, especially when he was usually so composed and strict. Or maybe it was just because she was already fairly drunk. The man pursed his lips when trying not to smile at her glee. Maybe the game was a good idea after all. The girl gestured to him in between chuckles.

"Your turn."

Itachi's eyes flashed slightly. He thought for a moment before he realized just how useful this game could be to him, remembering Kisame's words. _'Find out as much as you can.'_

"Never have I ever had sex with more than two people."

The girl seemed to choke on her spit as she eyed him with wide irises.

"Gosh, Senpai. You really don't mess around with your games, do you?" She mused, Itachi kept his indifferent expression. She thought for a second before her eyes became large.

"Wait, you've only had sex with two people?!" She practically yelled, causing him to flinch. Well, that certainly backfired on him. The man sighed and closed his eyes.

"Yes."

"Oh my god! How?"

"Because-"

"You're so sexy though!"

Itachi's eyes snapped open and shot to her as he stared in disbelief that she'd _actually_ said that. Maoru equally had a hand clasped over her mouth at her own words that she'd accidentally let slip from her mouth, cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"I-I mean… I meant to say… Shut up! It's my turn!" She exclaimed, cheeks still heavily blushing.

"You think I'm… sexy?"

"Senpai, _stop."_ She whined, oblivious to the smirk that pulled at Itachi's perfect mouth. How _delightful._ He mused internally. Maybe now he had an advantage when retorting to her flirtatious teasing. The girl growled and swigged out of the bottle. She needed to get more drunk and _quick._ Itachi just watched her, completely amused at the attractive girl's humiliation.

" _Anyway!_ Never have I ever… murdered my entire clan." She smiled smugly, finally, she had the edge again.

"Drink."

Maoru's eyes narrowed at him.

"Bullshit! It's a fact and anyone with a bingo book knows it!" She spat. Now he was just _cheating._ Itachi stared at her and even his eyes seemed arrogant at that point, fuelling her anger and humiliation even more.

"I believe you're familiar with my little brother."

"Shit!"

"Drink."

The girl all too happily downed the shot but seemed completely scorned at her humiliation streak. She decided to ignore the fact that he'd mentioned the other, younger Uchiha and focused on getting the man more drunk. Although, this was pretty fun. She'd never been his close to Itachi in all the weeks she'd been training under him and it was refreshing to see a more carefree side of him. It was strange, but it always seemed like the man never actually allowed himself to relax, like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was sad, really. He seemed nice enough. Well… despite murdering his clan, save Sasuke Uchiha. She focused her slightly intoxicated gaze on him as he reached out to fill her cup again. She smiled at the gesture, appreciating how nice he was being.

"Okay, it's your turn again. Ask away."

The girl unfolded her slim legs, stretching them beside his folded ones, a motion he raised an eyebrow at.

.

He wasn't too sure how long they'd been playing the game, all he knew was that he was quite considerably and generously _drunk._

Maoru watched with serious amusement as the man's heavy eyes tried to stay focused on her but failed and he ended up nearly toppling forward from his slouched position.

"A-are you okay, Senpai?" The girl didn't even bother hiding her chuckles as the older male blinked and widened his eyes, sitting up and trying to gain some kind of composure, crossing his arms.

"Yes, yes. Very good. Next *hic* question." He slurred slightly. To be fair, although they'd had probably about six more drinks and it had been half an hour, if you didn't know the man, you probably wouldn't be able to tell he was hammered. But since it was Itachi, it was both strange and amusing to see him so relaxed but positively humorous at the same time. Maoru toyed with the ends of her long hair and rubbed a foot up against his leg.

"Hmmm… never have I ever… had naughty thoughts about an attractive and charming student of mine." She coyly spoke, almost like she was testing the waters in which she was wading with her flirting. Maybe her plan would be successful after all. Her grey eyes caught his hazy black ones as she studied his every move and bit her lip when he raised his glass to his lips and slowly sipped on it, never breaking eye contact. _My god, this is hot…_ She thought, shuffling slightly under his gaze but found it excruciatingly painful to do so when she found it so difficult to take her eyes off of him. Itachi lay his shot glass down on the floor and watched as his student filled his cup.

"I guess it's uh… my turn."

Maoru smiled up at him under his eyelashes as she brought the bottle to her lips. She nodded him to go. Itachi once again caught her captivating gaze.

"Have you ever had thoughts about me?"

Maoru giggled into the bottle as she noticed him swaying slightly.

"Senpai, that's not even a question."

"Just answer it."

Itachi wasn't even really sure what his drunken mind was thinking and he was sure he would look back at this moment in the morning awkwardly and want to kill himself. But at the moment, it seemed like a pretty good idea. Especially when the girl slid her legs back and slowly began crawling her way over to him, keeping her dark gaze on his lap.

"I guess…" She began, sliding herself closer and closer until she was practically straddling his groin and their noses were inches apart, "I guess, you could say I've had a few." She whispered into his mouth, fingers finding their way into the satin strands of his hair and eyes staring into his own dark, intoxicated orbs. The man's strong hand managed to find its way to her back as he slowly lay her on the ground, allowing himself to hover over her and be completely captivated by her flinty eyes.

Maoru's hands seemed to move on instinct as one wrapped around his firm but muscular chest and the other made its way to the back of his head, weaving throughout strands to pull his face closer, lips practically tickling each other's. The sandy blonde sighed contently. She knew they would be completely back to normal tomorrow, but this was something she wanted to remember. She wanted to remember the feeling of Itachi Uchiha being completely focused on her, the feeling of his lean but well-built body on her own petite one, the feeling of each breath they shared as they lay so close together, the feel of Itachi Uchiha's mere _presence_ invading her own.

This was the man she'd heard so much about, the S-ranked criminal who murdered his own clan. The one who mothers warned their children of to frighten them into coming home before their nightly curfew. This was the man who some even went so far as to say he was the host of a god of death and could murder a man by simply twitching a polished finger. The man who was so deathly scary when she'd first met him and who was the older brother of the boy she'd been intimate with.

And here she was with her legs wrapped around him. A _very_ drunk him, but it was flattering just to know that she could lead such a trained killer astray just by persistence alone. It was flattering to know that he, deep down, _wanted_ to have her legs wrapped around him. And yet, something didn't feel quite right.

Itachi stared down at the girl with hazy eyes and daren't blink. There was something about her that reminded him of… _her._ Sexual and flirty joking aside, the girl had such a similar face to _Izumi._ It was almost strange. She was just like her but the bleached copy of her. He buried his face into her neck, pulling a breathy moan from the girl, and inhaled. She had a different scent. Like Jasmine and shea butter unlike Izumi's aroma of freshly mowed grass, or so he remembered. He could feel it awakening a fire in him that he'd managed to push back after that night he'd shared with the Uchiha girl, for the sake of the burdens and responsibility. He hadn't felt it in so long. This only urged him on. If only the girl below him felt the same.

Maoru frowned slightly and put her hand on his chest, pushing him away.

"We can't do this…" She murmured slightly. Itachi's drunken gaze blinked at her as he backed off, pursing his own lips. Had he done something wrong? Well, scratch that, everything they were doing was fairly wrong. But had he somehow… misread her? The man ran a hand through his locks.

"M-my apologies. There appears to have been a… miscommunication, on my part." He mumbled. Maoru panicked slightly, realizing that the usual sober, miserable Itachi was making a comeback. The girl put her hands up in defence.

"Oh, no! That's not what I meant! I'd love to have… I mean, I want this more than anything, trust me. But… we're both so drunk… I don't want it to happen like this…" She bit her lip and looked up at him. Instead of the unfocused, intoxicated dark orbs, she was met with the _very_ sober stare of the sharingan.

"S-senpai…" She couldn't help but be captivated by the deep red pools and the swirling tomoes that were flecks of black among crimson. The man's penetrating eyes never left her own as he seemed almost in a trance.

"You don't understand."

Maoru raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean-"

"This can't and won't happen ever again, Maoru. You don't understand. You don't understand the burdens I bear and the responsibilities I have taken upon myself. I have no time for such pleasures. I have no time for _this._ This was all just a silly mistake. I have things to do and no time to be messing around, engaging in silly little fantasies of a girl. One that's fucked my brother no less and by the sound of it, half of Otogakure."

…

The man hesitated when he noticed the cold stare she was giving him, those grey eyes were more of a storm than ever and if he wasn't so drunk, he wouldn't have been slightly taken aback by those irises. Did he regret what he'd said? Of course not, because it was the closest thing to the truth as he'd ever be able to speak without revealing his entire secret mission. But he did regret being a bit temperamental. It just made him feel like he seemed to be salty after his advances being stopped.

"Senpai that was a low blow."

There was silence for what must have been about five minutes before the girl stood and moved across the room to the light, switching it off with a harsh slap.

Itachi stood, stumbling slightly as he watched the girl shuffle into bed with red eyes that within the blink of an eye, turned back to coal black. Back to normal. The man hesitated for a second before walking to the other side of the bed and sliding in, taking the small girl into his arms and curling around her. Maoru's face remained as harsh as thunder despite his efforts to repent for being so harsh. Angry tears slipped from her eyes onto his left forearm that cradled her head. She shook slightly from muffled sobs.

Itachi made no move to comfort her but instead closed his eyes, awaiting for morning to come eagerly.

.

 **Hey guys! I wanted to apologize for the tardy updates so… DRUNK ITACHI HAPPENED. I tried to keep him as close to character as I could but it was pretty hard considering in the manga, Itachi is neither affected by the female form or alco-ma-hols. This isn't a filler, this is a pretty vital part of the plot, actually because now the knowledge of Maoru's sexual past is out in the open even though a lot of it is still kept in the dark.**

 **If you couldn't tell, Itachi's pretty much still the same as he usually is when he's drunk, just a bit more… open with his feelings, I guess. I didn't wanna make him too over the top considering I want to keep him as close to the canon character as possible. The only reason he agreed to participate in drinking was because Maoru begged him so much. As mentioned in the story, she managed to gage a soft spot in him when getting her way.**

 **The reason Itachi responded so negatively to being pushed away wasn't for being rejected but probably just the thought that he'd never get a chance like that again, to completely relax from the burdens of his mission and of Sasuke and stuff so I guess he just kind of felt shitty for knowing how he could never truly do what he wanted.**

 **I hope you liked this** **chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Especially the kinkier and more intimate stuff ;) Please F &F and drop a review! I always love reviews!** __

__


	5. Kamakiri

**Wow, all I can say is that I'm really flattered by all the lovely reviews! And I'm sure Itachi would be too ;) I never expected to reach even 20 follows for this story but here we are. I'd just like to say a massive thank you to everyone reading this story so far and that I appreciate your support so much! Here is chapter 5 of** _ **Flowers from stone,**_ **I hope you all enjoy! Don't forget to F &F and review! It really does motivate me to write!**

 _Flowers from stone_

To say the next day had been awkward would be an understatement. It was absolutely mortifying.

Itachi had awoken in a state of confusion and panic, shooting up from his vulnerable position lying on his back and rudely awakening his student who had been comfortably curled up into his side. Chest heaving, his eyes shot about the dark room, searching the early morning darkness with his hazy orbs that he had to roll around in their sockets for a moment to actually get them working properly. The raven haired Uchiha felt as if he had arose from the dead as he recollected his thoughts from the night before, a hand resting on his forehead as his head throbbed.

The last thing he'd remembered was playing a drinking game with Maoru and then…

 _Maoru._

His head snapped to the girl who rolled on her back and gave him the coldest look he'd ever seen on her usually neutral expression. He rose a brow at her as she slid off the bed clad in nothing but a robe, flicking her blonde hair at him and he had to wonder where the sudden attitude had come from.

"We didn't… Did we..?" His voice was hoarse and heavy, not used to the amount of drink he'd consumed the night before and the deep slumber he'd slipped into. If anyone had broken into their room last night, they surely would have been dead. He felt quite sick and he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, the thought that he'd let his guard down or the thought of him having slept with his student who was basically the same age, and had also screwed, his little brother. The girl dropped her robe and he immediately averted his gaze to the right, keeping his eyes off of her bare form.

"No, no we did not," Her words were icy and bit at him. After she'd finished dressing, she went to walk into the small, barely adequate bathroom. "I've been fucked by half of Otogakure, remember." And with that, she slammed the door shut. Itachi just blinked and reflected on his words the night before. It all really was fairly hazy and he couldn't piece things together. He remembered being quite forward and for that, he cringed. And he remembered the intimate questions and the even more intimate answered but after that, it was all a blur. He went to knock on the bathroom door but something stopped him.

 _Maybe this is for the best. She doesn't need to be involved even more than she already is in your situation._ Clenching his fist that hovered a mere inch from the door, he realized that the voice of his conscience was right. He'd accepted long ago that he must shoulder those burdens alone but for some reason, it was just dawning upon him just how alone he felt. And just how much he missed the gentle touch of somebody he cared about.

Exhaling through his nose in defeat, he turned from the door and stared at the sun that was peaking over the valley on the horizon out of the window.

 _Keep your distance and it will all go back to normal._

 _._

The journey continued on until nightfall, stopping for a few awkward breaks in silence, both refusing to say the first word. It was evening by the time they reached the borders of the land of earth and past then, they travelled without stopping until they reached a small collection of villages outside of Iwagakure to gather Intel. When they reached the larger of the villages, they went their separate ways and Maoru was left to herself.

As she made her way through the crowds of people that loitered the streets in lively masses, her angry expression that had been plastered on her face since that morning began to melt into a deflated frown under the paper lanterns. The vibrant colours, the music, the happy people. None of it had an upbeat effect on the sadness that she felt in her heart. Her stomach bubbled unhappily and she realized she hadn't actually eaten anything.

Lifting onto her tiptoes, she looked around the street over the throngs of people and spotted a bar and grill just downstream, pushing through the crowds to get there.

When she walked through the door, she was immediately relieved and let out a sigh, moving over to an empty booth, sliding in and picking up a menu, dragging her finger down to the grilled meat section. Picking the biggest steak she could find along with a tall glass of water, she waved over the waitress and ordered. Folding her arms on top of the table, she closed her eyes and furrowed her brows. She was still utterly humiliated from the night before after what her Senpai had said to her. But a part of her was more ashamed with herself than anything. Feeling herself tear up, she sniffled and opened her eyes, nearly jumping in shock at the man who sat across from her.

A look of concern was written across his handsome, boyish face.

"You look troubled."

Maoru stared at him in shock before flicking her nose and leaning back in her seat, crossing her arms in defence. The man looked to be in his early twenties and had dark auburn hair, his violet eyes staring at her with worry. Her own stormy orbs flickered over his form, observing the expensive, silken green robes he wore. She scowled at him with growing hostility.

"What concern is it of yours?"

The man hesitated for a moment before smiling at her, catching the girl off guard.

"It's always vexing seeing such a beautiful girl so sad." His voice was smooth and flattering, causing the sandy haired girl to become flustered. The waitress brought her food over and placed it in front of her, but she was quick to slide it to the side and give the man her full attention, suddenly not feeling very hungry.

"Do you approach vulnerable young girls often?" She said defensively but there was also a playful tone to her words. The man cocked his head to the side and gave her a close eyed smile.

"Only when they're as gorgeous as you."

Maoru wasn't usually one to be reeled in by flattery but feeling particularly low, she appreciated the kind words from the interesting and fairly attractive stranger and let a small smile grace her lips, her ego slowly building back up again after the disastrous night prior.

"Correct me if I'm mistaken, but are you trying to woo me into bed?"

The man let out a chuckle and raised his hands defensively.

"Am I that transparent?"

Maoru's grey eyes rolled over his form for a moment and hesitated. Would her Senpai be mad if she were to be distracted from the mission for an hour tops? She bit her lip. She was still pretty frustrated from the night before and clearly her master wasn't going to be touching her anytime soon after their argument, if he could even remember it, and here she was sat with a perfectly willing, effortlessly attractive young man, although not as attractive as Itachi but he was off bounds and clearly thought of her fairly lowly at that point. She frowned when she thought about him again and what he'd said.

"There you go looking sad again. Tell me, has somebody upset you?"

The girl stared at the table, deep in thought about Itachi's words and how they'd cut deep. Surely she'd be proving him right if he found her in bed with another guy. But then again, if she was a guy, wouldn't it be perfectly acceptable? Why was it that just because she was a woman and had slept around a bit, she was considered a tart? It was just quite hypocritical to her. Anger flashed through her eyes for a moment before her eyes flickered up to the man again and she smiled at him.

"No, it's nothing. I'm just about done here." She stood, not casting her steak a second glance. The man stood, towering over her by about six or seven inches. She coyly fluttered her eyebrows at him.

"Lead the way."

The man all but grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar, despite the waitress's protests that she hadn't paid her bill although she hadn't even touched her meal.

.

Itachi's coal orbs flickered about the busy street with a vague expression. He'd managed to gather a bit of intel on their target but when he'd gone to find his kohai, she'd vanished without a trace. After inconspicuously searching for her throughout the bustle and noise for about half an hour, he began questioning various civilians, shop owners and waitresses about a short girl with long, blonde hair, grey eyes and most likely fairly miserable looking. Still, no luck. Civilians were useless, too caught up in their everyday lives, shop keepers saw so many people on a daily basis or just plain weren't interested unless he was planning on buying something. The waitresses he spoke to could barely string a sentence together without getting flustered and anxious.

When the raven haired man came upon the barbeque grill and gained a lead in just where his student had gone, with a strange man and not even paying her bill, to the irritation of the head waiter, he took off immediately when the man was described as resembling the target, paying the bill on his way out. He ignored the strange feeling that was crawling under his skin, uncomfortable at the thought of her going off with a strange ninja, whether for the mission or not, he did not know. But he didn't really like it.

He followed the direction the waitress in the grill had hesitantly told him, a blush set heavy on her delicate features, and found himself on the right track when asking others for directions on the way. He'd even spotted a tea house where he could have a cup of tea and a dango if the mission went well. He became slightly tense as he found his way to a rather rough looking part of town. The red lights lit up a particular street, run down looking women in shabby silken clothes sitting in windows and leaning against door frames that lead to underground gambling houses, brothels and other dodgy activities smoking cigarettes and giving him risqué propositions as he went past.

He stopped and turned when he reached the middle of the long stretch of an alley way, spotting an older woman taking drags of her cigarette and drinking alcohol from the bottle. She immediately lit up when she saw him staring at her, the greying hair on her head swishing as she moved her head up suddenly to keep eye contact.

"Care for some company tonight, stranger?" She put on a haggard, flirty façade that had long since had its day before taking another drag of her fix. Itachi had to wonder whether it was only tobacco in there. The raven haired man hesitated for a moment, eyes running over the aging woman, picking apart and deducing her body language, which the woman must have mistaken for interest as she perked up and smiled.

"I'm looking for someone in particular and was told she'd come this way with a man of about my height, brunette."

The woman's face fell pitifully and she slumped, folding her arms, bottle and cigarette still in her hands. She let out a tired laugh, whispering something self-degrading to herself whilst she was at it.

"Who? The pretty blonde? Yeah, they were here. She'll make a good one, she will. Unlike an old spinster like myself. You want to go to the end of this alley way, make a right and then the second left and keep walkin' until you reach the underground _yoshiwara_ house and club. That's where we all go on our first day. It's a slippery slope, I tell ya. One moment, you need a bit of money to pay your rent, the next, you're a forty-year-old prostitute with nothing to your name but a bottle of cheap wine and some tobacco."

Itachi soaked in the information, his brow creasing in vexation. The woman took another swig of her drink and wiped her mouth with her forearm.

"But… I still know what a man likes. If you'll allow me. It's cold out and it'll give me something besides the numbness of this drink." She drawled, tears glazing over her eyes. It was a moment before the woman flinched, her eyes widening slightly as she stared at the bills he'd dropped on the floor before heading off in the directions she'd given him. The woman bit her dry lip and bent down, counting the money and nearly fainting at the generous gift left by the all more generous stranger.

.

Itachi followed the woman's instructions, walking to the end of the alley, taking a right and then the second left. He kept on guard, feeling tense at how rough this part of the small town was. The alley he walked down seemed wider than the other, more women scattered about but this time, some were drunkenly passed out in their own vomit, the darkness of the alley way and the only light being red made him wonder whether they were still alive or not. Some had bills left on their unconscious bodies, some were being ravished in passages between the tall buildings. He clenched his eyes shut as he approached the entrance to the underground whore house, barely keeping in his contempt for this side of humanity. The ninja, a big burly man with an even larger sword, on the entrance of the door gave him a stern look before opening the door.

"You cause any trouble and you're dead meat, got it, shrimp?"

Itachi calmly moved passed him and stared down into the set of dimly lit stairs, a waft of a strong smelling aroma of alcohol, sex and sweat hitting him straight in the face making his lip twitch in disgust. When he moved down the stairs, there was a thick wooden door at the bottom that the sounds of the club came through in muffled beats of music, laughing and other sounds that he didn't even want to think about. Opening the door, he felt the noise become very loud and very real as he stared around the large room filled with all sorts of mercenaries and cut throats, a lot of them he'd seen in his bingo books, meaning this mission would be a hassle.

The room was lively, a bar at the side and some sort of small stage on the left with rough spin curtains. It was modelled like a contemporary lounge, tasteful but wasn't any less scummy, the men sat around on the red leather sofas. Straight ahead there was a narrow hall way shielded from the room by a net curtain that did little to hide the hall and the erotic noises. His eyes roamed over the room, looking for any sign of his student. His impassive face seemed to attract more than just the women in the room this time. A particularly tattooed ruffian stood and pointed to him.

"Hey, I know you, you're that Uchiha fella!"

Another man turned his head and growled at him.

"Hey, you got no business being down here, you prick. You tryin' ta get us shut down or what?"

Itachi apathetically stared at the audience he was attracting, realizing that the noise had quieted down and the only sound was the music and the screaming, moaning and slapping noises that were coming out of the brothel part of the basement. The raven haired man thought through ways to go about approaching the growing tension. He didn't doubt that with some serious effort, he would be able to singlehandedly take out every one in the room, but he really didn't want that kind of attention on a mission that was meant to be low key. He thought back to the old prostitute he'd encountered earlier, a light bulb lighting up in his head.

"I'm…. not here to cause trouble. I'm looking for entertainment… If you understand what I mean." He drawled, his face staying expressionless. His words sounded sincere but this did nothing to calm the criminals who were growing more and more irritated at his presence.

"We ain't gonna tell ya again, Uchiha. Your kind ain't welcome around here. So you better get that scrawny little ass outta here before I throw you out myself." the tattooed thug snapped, spittle leaving his mouth. Itachi slipped shuriken between his fingers beneath his sleeve as he prepared himself for the impending bust up, eyes flicking around the room to all of the different sizes and types of criminals, planning out strategies and tactics at which ones he would kill first. Just before he could activate his sharingan, a willowy looking aged woman ran out from beside the bar, her stern, puckered face only enhancing her frown lines and crow feet.

"Gentlemen, please! No fighting in here! Who are we to deny a man obviously looking to have some company and who possibly will be… spending generously. Come now, sir, follow me."

Itachi's eyes roamed the room, observing how the tense atmosphere was suddenly lifted as the mercenaries only shrugged and rolled their eyes, carrying on with what they were doing prior to his interruption but a few still gave him wary glances. He strode forward until he reached the old woman who was dressed in a traditional yukata, one he noticed was fairly expensive looking, probably bought at the expense of her whores. The woman who he'd presumed was the mistress only smiled at him pleadingly and all too eagerly.

"I'm assuming you have a certain type of girl in mind?" Her voice was hoarse and shrill, Itachi only nodded, an image of Maoru's appearance coming to mind.

"Petite, blonde." He spoke, the woman lit up and immediately parted the curtain to the dimly lit red hallway.

"Oh, yes! One of our most popular choices, sir! If you come this way, I'll show you our best blondes. All of them pretty, some of them come from the furthest points of the map, all very experienced in whatever you may desire-" the woman went on and showed him the girls who were available but none of them were his student, eyebrows furrowing, he wondered if the old whore from earlier had given him the right information.

Seeing his expression and mistaking it for disappointment, the mistress panicked.

"O-oh! Maybe you would prefer a brunette? Or a red head perhaps?"

Itachi's eyes flickered back to her and he hesitated.

"Do you have any new whores? Maybe from today or yesterday?"

The woman thought to herself before lighting up.

"Ah, yes we have one but she's in use at the present." Itachi's eyes hardened and the woman gulped, taking it as an unsaid gesture to show him the way.

"R-right up here."

She brought the raven haired man up a different corridor which was dimmer and more quiet than the rest of the pleasure house, the only noises being the grunts of the customers, breathy moans of the prostitutes and the squeaking of old bed joints. The woman lead him to a room right at the end of the hall before asking him to wait for a moment and knocking, entering and closing the door behind her, smiling at him as she disappeared into the room. He was there for a few moments as he listened to the yelling of the mistress. She appeared after about five minutes through the door.

"She is able to see you now, apologies for the wait." She smiled bitterly and opened the door. Itachi walked into the room with brief hesitation. The woman stopped him.

"Payment?"

Coal eyes landed on her and narrowed, making her bite her lip.

"We will negotiate if I find her satisfactory, thank you."

The mistress nodded, giving him an open mouth smile to see her black and yellow teeth. Itachi turned into the room and slouched his shoulders, hearing the door click behind him. The girl before him was not Maoru. The girl had tanned skin, dark brown hair and an exotic look to her as she smiled at him. She was young, maybe the same age as his student, if not even younger. The girl coyly played with her hair.

"What do you like, mister?" She asked, voice sweet as honey. Itachi stared at her, not speaking a word. The girl blushed under his gaze and sat on the bed, her skimpy silken kimono riding up her tan legs.

"Would you like to sit down?" She asked politely. Itachi could see the finger shaped bruises scattered over her thighs and arms, some even over her neck. They were dark and ugly, but not as dark and ugly as the one swelling over her eye. He felt appalled. The girl gulped and shuffled on the bed slightly.

"Maybe some alcohol-"

"I'm not here to abuse you. I'm looking for someone. A… comrade if you will. Maybe you could help me."

The girl jumped at the sound of his voice, looking up at him completely startled.

"O-oh, perhaps, I don't know-"

"I will make it worth your while. I'm looking for a girl, young like yourself. Blonde, grey eyes, petite. May have been taken here upon free will or force."

The girl thought for a moment before biting her lip, looking nervous and skittish. If she said anything she wasn't meant to or lost mother money, she would be given a beating worse than some of the customers gave her. Itachi sensed her discomfort and moved forward slightly.

"I will give you payment for the information, of course."

The girl's eyes snapped back up at him and she wrung her hands in the bedsheets.

"I… don't know who you speak of but I do know that they take girls who are particularly defiant… further down." She murmured, not really wanting to think about it. Itachi furrowed his eyebrows.

"Further down?"

She nodded slowly, eyes wide despite the one swollen eye on her left.

"There's a hidden compartment that is disguised as a screen in the next corridor down from us. You will know it when you see it. There is a single room for storage supplies and opposite that is a seemingly normal screen but it's opaque and opens like a door instead of sliding. You'll find a stair case that leads to the disciplining area. Maybe… your comrade is down there?"

Itachi rummaged around in his cloak as he found his money pouch which was becoming more empty as the mission progressed. He brought out wad of bills to the girl's complete shock and placed it on the pine nightstand, leaving silently.

"W-wait!"

Itachi turned, apathetic as the girl blushed and looked down, bringing a fist up to her mouth.

"Watch out f-for the hired thugs."

Itachi stared at her before nodding and closing the door behind him.

He knew what she'd meant when he reached the corridor, the screen didn't slide and did, in fact swing open like a door, revealing a long staircase down. It was cold and eerily quiet but Itachi began walking down without a second thought, preparing his shuriken once again and disguising his chakra in case of any sensory ninja. He reached the heavy iron door at the bottom and slowly opened it to avoid any loud screeching that would alert any unwanted attention.

As soon as it was open, the quiet turned into screams and howls and whimpers as well as rough commands. He narrowed his eyes at the empty concrete walkway. Surely it should be more guarded than this? Calmly, he walked down the stony corridor that looked more like a jail house hallway. There was an archway at the end that gave him the option of either going left or right.

His ear twitched when he heard an all too familiar voice, immediately turning left, he quickly moved to the shadows of the hall, his footsteps as quiet as the grave. It was the second room on the right that he'd found what he was looking for. The first had been a cell filled with unconscious women most likely drugged.

"Now, I'm not going to ask you again, sweetheart. Where is your partner."

Itachi peered around the corner. The room was dark but he could clearly see his student on the floor, ankles shackled and hands tied. Her hair was tangled and knotted in the fist of the man who sat in a chair next to her, leaning down to stare in her eyes. He ripped the cloth gag out of her mouth to which she hacked and spat on his ninja sandal.

"Fuck you, cunt!" She growled. The man just let out a dry laugh and tutted.

"Such bad language coming from a pretty little mouth like that," He pulled her head up causing her to hiss at the pain. She scowled up at him from beneath her dark lashes. "It makes me wonder what else has been there." He drawled, a long finger stroking up her slim throat, before pausing and sighing.

"No matter. I have ways of making you talk."

"I'll never talk." She spat, glaring at him as he pushed her head away, standing and walking over to a table filled with all kinds of horrendous instruments. The girl gulped and looked to the doorway when she heard footsteps. She nearly cried when she spotted the familiar silhouette in the dark. _Itachi-Senpai._ The Kamakiri turned, his violet eyes flicking to the doorway as an oddly tranquil smile stretched onto his face.

"Ah, there you are! We were beginning to wonder when you were going to show up, weren't we, darling?"

"Fuck off!"

"I have to say, I'm slightly appalled at her choice of words but it's not really any of my business. What _is_ my business, however, is the continuation of this little program I've got going on here. I can't have any unwanted interruptions so I'm going to have to exterminate you. But I have to say, I'm happy they sent you , Itachi Uchiha. In fact, I'm flattered. But I'm going to kill you either way."

Itachi stared at the man impassively.

"Is that so?" He drawled, unimpressed. The Kamakiri's eyes flickered to Maoru who struggled around on the floor, incapacitated.

"I think I might keep your little friend though. I like _her._ "

Maoru pulled faces as she tried to get her hands loose. Itachi's eyes moved to his student. Within a flash, the lights were on and practically blinding. The three of them were surrounded by maybe seven thugs, all staring at him hungry, eagerly awaiting his blood. Itachi shut his eyes, calmly waiting for the target to say something more.

"You know what I will regret though. I was fairly keen on fucking her and having you watch before your death but whichever comes first really. In fact, fellas try and keep him alive. There'll be an extra thirty thousand ryo if you do." He sent a smirk Itachi's way. The raven haired man blinked at him. Was he supposed to feel _threatened?_ The men chortled, standing and gripping their weapons. Itachi spotted the tattooed thug from earlier who grinned at him.

"Don't mind if we do, boss."

Itachi's coal orbs spun into red as soon as the thugs took one step towards him. They began circling him and he stared at them out of the corner of his eyes, frowning. The first one charged at him and then they all went for him, he disappeared and re-appeared behind one of them, swinging his fist to their neck, watching him collapse onto his knees and pass out on the floor. Left, right, left, right, he dodged attacks from here there and everywhere. The room was small, too small for any showy jutsu but no matter. He continued to dodge, his sharingan eyes picking up on every movement that was yet to happen, swiftly moving out of the way in a spin when the tattooed thug swung his axe, with a thunderous roar. He was big and powerful but Itachi was slender and quick, swooping out of reach and throwing shuriken as quick as lightening, hitting his upper arm and taking out two other thugs as the stars imbedded in their skulls. The tattooed ruffian grunted and glared at him.

"You'll pay for that you little cunt!" He charged at him again, this time, Itachi ducked and swiped his foot underneath the big man's legs, taking him out swiftly. Itachi took another set of shuriken and elegantly and with unnatural speed, threw them at the other three thugs who fell like bags of potatoes.

"Fuck! Itachi!"

The man turned at the sound of his kohai, his eyes flickering about until he noticed the hidden door that was disguised behind a curtain left ajar slightly, he went to follow but grunted when he felt the sharp end of a kunai imbed itself in his thigh. Looking down, he watched as the tattooed thug hung onto the kunai, painfully trying to drag it down.

"You're not going anywhere, you little bitch"

Itachi glared down at the man, taking out his own kunai and slicing in one swift motion. The man let out an ear piercing roar of pain at clutched his now mutilated wrist, the stub soaking in crimson and squirting out blood, creating a puddle on the floor where his severed hand lay, twitching.

Itachi took a deep breath and pulled the knife out, clenching his teeth at the sharp, aching stinging pain. He knew it was a foolish move but there was no way he could retrieve his student with an object sticking out of his leg.

Pursuing them, he pushed the door open and sprinted down a long, earthy tunnel that smelt of stale water and was lined with thin pipes. He tried to ignore the throbbing in his leg as he approached a fork in the tunnel, lifting his hands, he conjured three shadow clones at unmatched speed. The three clones went in different directions, he closed his eyes until one of them caught sight of them. To the right. He dispersed his clones and turned right, going after them. He heard the distinct yelling, screaming and yelling of his student. Itachi sped up when he caught sight of them. The target dragged her by her bound wrists through a hatch before closing it.

Itachi made his way up and shoved the hatch open, jumping up out into the forest, his sharingan rolling around his surroundings.

Maoru struggled as the Kamakiri held the kunai to her stomach, his slender fingers wrapped tightly around her neck. Itachi stared indifferently at the man who glared back at him.

"Make one move and I drive this straight through this fucking bitch, got it?" He spat before leaning into Maoru's ear.

"Now, you're going to do exactly as I say and I'll let your boyfriend live." He whispered, sickly sweet. The girl narrowed her eyes at him but reluctantly nodded.

"You stay right where you are, I'm going to negotiate with this fucker. You try anything funny and I'll kill him without a second thought."

Maoru stared at him and then at her Senpai, finding his eyes already on her and communicating with her. She pursed her lips as he angrily narrowed his eyes. She was in _so_ much trouble and she knew it. Biting her lip, he fumbled around behind her back. She'd managed to pick something up on the way. Feeling around her back pocket, she felt the sharp sting of the scalpel slicing the pad of her finger. _There it is!_ She pulled it out of her left back pocket, ignoring the feeling of the blade slicing up her hand and subtly beginning to saw the rope quietly.

The brunette man approached Itachi and smirked.

"You certainly live up to your reputation, Uchiha. But the question is, how far can you go especially when you've been poisoned? I didn't get as far as I am today by underestimating my enemies, you see." He eyed the rip in Itachi's cloak, the damp patch of blood seeping through. Itachi narrowed his eyes. He'd be lying he'd said he hadn't felt the poison taking effect.

Maoru's head snapped up at his words, grey eyes widening as she saw Itachi begin to grow slightly unbalanced. _Fuck!_ She had to do something right away, finally, she felt the last bit of rope snap.

 _"Sekijunkawa no jutsu!"_ She yelled, forming the hand signs. The man turned quickly and his eyes widened, he jumped quickly as the stalagmites shot out of the ground like spikes, missing him by a hair. He balanced atop one, eyes narrowed down at her.

"Cute. But not enough."

 _Shit!_ His attentions were on her and that was good enough for her. But in their small amount of time together, she hadn't managed to figure out what his skillset was like, she had no idea what type of nature he was or if he had a Kekkei Genkai or anything. She focused hard. _Remember what Itachi-senpai told you. Concentrate and don't get cocky. Don't underestimate your enemy._ She bit her lip, thinking of a strategy. She looked to Itachi to find him gone. Okay. Good. She didn't have to worry about him at the same time. The Kamakiri seemed to have the same thought process.

"It seems your boyfriend left you. Not very nice."

"Shut your mouth!" She yelled, trying not to get distracted. Her eyes snapped open as she summed two other clones and used a substitution. The man looked disappointed as he clicked his tongue.

"Is that seriously all you can do?" He drawled as the two clones rushed him, swiping at him, kicking at him and jumping at him. The man growled and moved out of the way of their attacks, dodging from left to right. His face frowning the whole time.

"You know, if you're trying to work out my jutsu, you should come out and face me yourself."

Maoru watched from the tree tops and swore to herself. There was only one way she was going to do this. She had to attack long range. There was another thing she could do but… _No. I swore I'd never use that jutsu again._ He clenched her teeth. She was alone, facing an unknown opponent when her Senpai was out there somewhere possibly dying. _You have no choice._

"Oh, fuck it!"

 _"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"_

.

 _ **Thank you all so very much! I'm so sorry for the wait! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know not much is happening in this one and it's mainly just Itachi and Maoru ignoring each other but it will get better next chapter I swear on my life. I tried to make this chapter as interesting as I could and I apologize if I've offended anyone with the language, drug references or abuse references. It was not intention, I was just trying to keep it as realistic as possible.**_

 _ **Thank you all very much for your time and patience, I did kind of have a bit of writers block with this chapter but I'm back bby! Don't forget to F &F and review, reviews keep me going. I like to hear what you all think, mainly because I'm a glutton for feedback but it's mainly so I know if I'm doing good or not.**_

 _ **Thank you all!**_


End file.
